A federal jury in Oakland, California, ruled against Elon Musk on Monday in his lawsuit against OpenAI, concluding that the artificial intelligence company is not liable for claims that it deviated from its original mission to serve humanity.
The unanimous jury verdict highlighted that Musk had brought the case too late. The trial, which began on April 28, was widely seen as a pivotal moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence in general, including how it should be used and who should benefit financially from it.
During the 11-day trial, lawyers for Musk and OpenAI repeatedly attacked each other's credibility. Both sides accused their opponents of being more interested in money than in the public interest.
In closing arguments, Musk's lawyer, Steven Molo, told jurors that some witnesses had questioned Sam Altman's sincerity, even calling him a liar. He also recalled that Musk himself had not given a firm "yes" when asked if he was completely trustworthy.
"Sam Altman's credibility is directly at the heart of the issue. If you don't trust him, they can't win," Molo declared.
Musk accused OpenAI of trying to enrich investors and insiders at the expense of the organization's non-profit mission, while failing to prioritize the safety of artificial intelligence. He also claimed that Microsoft had long known that OpenAI was more focused on profit than altruism.
On the other hand, OpenAI argued that it was Musk himself who had seen profit opportunities and that he had waited too long to claim that the company had violated the founding agreement to develop safe artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
"Mr. Musk may have the Midas touch in some areas, but not in artificial intelligence," OpenAI lawyer William Savitt said in closing.
OpenAI competes with other artificial intelligence companies such as Anthropic and xAI, as it prepares for a potential IPO that could value the company at up to $1 trillion.
A Microsoft executive testified during the trial that the company has invested over $100 billion in the partnership with OpenAI.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's xAI company is now part of the SpaceX group and is also preparing for an IPO, which according to reports could rival or even surpass OpenAI's value.
