Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Microsoft will go to trial on April 27, alleging a breach of the AI lab’s original non-profit mission.
SAN FRANCISCO: A trial in the lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Samuel Altman and other defendants is scheduled to begin on April 27.
The federal court order sets the stage for a legal showdown centering on Musk’s claim that OpenAI abandoned its original non-profit, public-benefit mission.
Musk alleges Altman “intentionally courted and deceived” him by proposing a non-profit to counter Google’s DeepMind and make AI open source.
The suit claims OpenAI’s leaders have since restructured, created for-profit affiliates, and struck multibillion-dollar deals in violation of that mission.
Musk was an original co-founder and biggest funder of OpenAI when it began in 2015, providing tens of millions in seed capital before leaving in 2018.
OpenAI later released ChatGPT in 2022, after which Musk launched his rival AI firm, xAI.
Microsoft, a major investor since 2019, has poured billions into OpenAI and became its biggest shareholder after a restructuring last year.
The jury trial will be presided over by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.
