A California jury has tossed out Elon Musk's high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI and its boss Sam Altman. In a unanimous verdict, the jury agreed that Musk had waited too long to file his lawsuit, leaving all of his claims essentially expired.
Musk had accused Altman of breaching a non-profit contract by shifting the ChatGPT-maker to a for-profit company after Musk donated $38 million early in OpenAI's history. Musk claimed Altman had deceived him by accepting his money and then reneging on OpenAI's original non-profit mission to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the benefit of humanity.
Jurors spent about two hours on deliberation after three weeks of internal correspondence review and testimony from Musk, Altman, and other tech executives, including Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella. Musk also accused Microsoft of aiding OpenAI in its alleged improper transition to a more profit-driven model.
The jury found that the statute of limitations had lapsed for Musk's claims of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment, thereby not requiring a full examination of the merits. Following the verdict, Musk criticized the outcome, stating it set a dangerous precedent for charitable trust violations.
He indicated plans to appeal the ruling, asserting that the decision was based solely on technicalities and did not consider the substantive issues raised.
Legal experts weighed in, suggesting an appeals court would be unlikely to overturn a jury's fact-based decision. Outside the court, representatives for OpenAI celebrated the verdict as a significant victory for the justice system, asserting it was an attempt by Musk to hinder competition.
The long-standing tensions between Musk and Altman, stemming as far back as Musk's exit from OpenAI in 2018, have now manifested in legal disputes, culminating in this latest trial. Musk's previous criticisms of OpenAI and its transition to a commercial model have further fueled their rivalry, setting the stage for ongoing legal and public discourse.
Musk had accused Altman of breaching a non-profit contract by shifting the ChatGPT-maker to a for-profit company after Musk donated $38 million early in OpenAI's history. Musk claimed Altman had deceived him by accepting his money and then reneging on OpenAI's original non-profit mission to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the benefit of humanity.
Jurors spent about two hours on deliberation after three weeks of internal correspondence review and testimony from Musk, Altman, and other tech executives, including Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella. Musk also accused Microsoft of aiding OpenAI in its alleged improper transition to a more profit-driven model.
The jury found that the statute of limitations had lapsed for Musk's claims of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment, thereby not requiring a full examination of the merits. Following the verdict, Musk criticized the outcome, stating it set a dangerous precedent for charitable trust violations.
He indicated plans to appeal the ruling, asserting that the decision was based solely on technicalities and did not consider the substantive issues raised.
Legal experts weighed in, suggesting an appeals court would be unlikely to overturn a jury's fact-based decision. Outside the court, representatives for OpenAI celebrated the verdict as a significant victory for the justice system, asserting it was an attempt by Musk to hinder competition.
The long-standing tensions between Musk and Altman, stemming as far back as Musk's exit from OpenAI in 2018, have now manifested in legal disputes, culminating in this latest trial. Musk's previous criticisms of OpenAI and its transition to a commercial model have further fueled their rivalry, setting the stage for ongoing legal and public discourse.
