Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI began closing arguments Thursday in Oakland, California, in a trial whose outcome could shape the future of artificial intelligence.
Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, invested $38 million in the company during its early years following its 2015 launch. His 2024 lawsuit accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman of shifting the nonprofit into a profit-driven operation without his knowledge. Microsoft is also named as a co-defendant.
The jury faces several distinct questions. First, it must determine whether Musk filed his lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations. OpenAI has argued he waited too long and cannot claim harms that occurred before August 2021. The presiding judge noted in a court filing last month that if the jury finds Musk missed the filing deadline, she will “accept that finding and direct verdict to the defendants.”
If the lawsuit is found to have been filed in time, jurors must then decide whether OpenAI operated under a “charitable trust” and whether the company and its executives breached that trust. A separate claim asks jurors to determine whether Altman, Brockman, and OpenAI unjustly enriched themselves at Musk’s expense. For Microsoft, the question is whether it aided and abetted any such breach.
Musk’s attorney, Steven Molo, told jurors Thursday morning that his client is “sorry he could not be here.” Musk was in China with President Donald Trump and other prominent tech executives at the time of the closing arguments.
The case centers heavily on OpenAI’s early years and the circumstances surrounding its founding, with the trial’s result potentially carrying broad implications for how AI companies are structured and held accountable.
Source: mint – technology