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Musk’s Case Against OpenAI Reaches Closings as Jury Prepares to Deliberate

The outcome could lead a judge to order payouts or changes to OpenAI’s leadership and structure.

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman is questioned by Elon Musk's attorney Steven Molo as a screen shows an earlier video interview with him during Musk's lawsuit trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S., May 12, 2026 in a courtroom sketch.  REUTERS/Vicki Behringer.   NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman is questioned by Elon Musk's attorney Steven Molo during Musk's lawsuit trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S., May 12, 2026 in a courtroom sketch.  REUTERS/Vicki Behringer.   NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
William Savitt, attorney representing OpenAI, left, speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman is cross-examined by Elon Musk's lawyer Steve Molo during Musk's lawsuit trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S., May 12, 2026, in a courtroom sketch.  REUTERS/Vicki Behringer   NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

Overview

  • Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI began closing arguments Thursday in Oakland, with a nine-person advisory jury expected to start deliberations next.
  • Jurors must first decide whether Musk sued in time under the statute of limitations, then weigh claims that OpenAI ran a charitable trust and that its leaders unjustly enriched themselves.
  • The panel will also consider whether Microsoft aided a breach, reflecting the tech giant’s deep role in funding and commercializing OpenAI’s work.
  • If the jury finds liability, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide remedies, and the court plans to return Monday to discuss potential restructuring and damages if no verdict arrives by then.
  • Musk seeks about $150 billion and the removal of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, while testimony highlighted large financial stakes, including a Microsoft executive saying the company spent more than $100 billion and witnesses describing Altman’s outside holdings and Brockman’s multibillion-dollar stake.