A California jury has ruled against Elon Musk in his legal battle with OpenAI, finding that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman were not liable for allegedly enriching themselves by shifting the company from its original nonprofit structure toward a for-profit model.
The decision was based on the fact that Musk filed the lawsuit outside the allowed legal timeframe. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California accepted the juryās verdict, confirming Muskās loss in the case.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI, had argued that he donated money to the organization in its early days with the understanding that it would remain a nonprofit. His lawsuit targeted Altman, Brockman, OpenAI, and Microsoft, one of OpenAIās largest supporters.
During the three-week trial, Muskās legal team tried to challenge Altmanās credibility, portraying him as dishonest and unreliable. They also brought attention to Altmanās brief removal from OpenAIās board in 2023, when the board said he had not been consistently transparent with its members. Altman was reinstated only days later.
Muskās lawyers argued that Altmanās trustworthiness was central to the case. They also criticized Brockmanās testimony, describing his answers as unclear and indirect.
OpenAIās legal team responded by arguing that Muskās claims were filed too late. They also pointed to testimony suggesting that Musk had not clearly made his donations conditional on OpenAI remaining a nonprofit.
The verdict comes as OpenAI continues to move toward a possible public listing. The company is reportedly racing to go public before rival Anthropic, with 2026 expected to be a major year for artificial intelligence IPOs.
