Lawsuits

Jury Rules Against Musk in OpenAI Lawsuit

Was Musk's lawsuit a failed legal gamble or a stand against OpenAI's broken mission?

Published 1 day ago

Jury Rules Against Musk in OpenAI Lawsuit

Story

Above: Lawyers for OpenAI speak outside federal court in Oakland, Calif., on May 18. Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

The jury's unanimous verdict against Musk is a clear win for OpenAI, Sam Altman and Microsoft. Musk knew about the alleged misconduct as early as 2021 but waited until 2024 to sue — well past the three-year statute of limitations. This clears the path for OpenAI's IPO and leaves Musk further than ever from the company he once helped build.

Ed Krassenstein on X Inc

Narrative B

The jury tossed the case on a timing technicality, not because the underlying claims were wrong. OpenAI took $38 million in founding donations under a nonprofit mission, then restructured into an $850 billion for-profit machine tied to Microsoft. This is a betrayal of the original promise, and an appeal is already in the works.

Mario Nawfal on X

Nick Sortor on X