Artificial Intelligence

Musk v. OpenAI Jury to Deliberate After Closing Arguments

Is this a fight for AI accountability or just a billionaire power grab gone ugly?

Published MAY 15

Musk v. OpenAI Jury to Deliberate After Closing Arguments

Story

Above: Attorney Marc Toberoff, representing Elon Musk, exits federal court in Oakland, California, on May 14. Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Facts

Closing arguments concluded Thursday on Day 13 of the Musk v. OpenAI federal trial in Oakland, with the nine-member jury set to begin deliberations Monday. Musk was absent, traveling in China with U.S. President Donald Trump, while Altman and Brockman attended the proceedings.
The New York Times
LiveNOW from FOX on Youtube
Muskonomy on X
Musk's attorney, Steven Molo, argued that OpenAI breached its charitable trust, citing five witnesses — including former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and ex-CTO Mira Murati — who described Altman as a "liar" under oath. OpenAI's attorneys countered that Musk's own testimony was contradicted by other witnesses and documents.
NBC Bay Area
The Associated Press
OpenAI attorney Sarah Eddy argued that Musk's $38 million in donations carried no specific restrictions and that he was aware of plans to form a for-profit arm. She also referenced testimony suggesting Musk sought majority control of OpenAI, including discussions about his children inheriting influence over the company.
Al Jazeera
NBC Bay Area
A central legal question for the jury is whether Musk filed his lawsuit within the statute of limitations. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in a court filing that if the jury finds Musk filed too late, she would likely direct a verdict for the defendants.
NTD News on Youtube
The New York Times
Musk is seeking approximately $150 billion in damages, to be paid into OpenAI's charitable arm, and is calling for the removal of Altman and Brockman.
LiveNOW from FOX on Youtube
guardian

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This trial is about more than a billionaire grudge match, as the verdict could reshape the entire AI industry. Five witnesses, including former OpenAI insiders, called Sam Altman a "liar" under oath, and that alleged credibility problem sits at the heart of the case. A win for Musk could derail OpenAI's IPO and force significant changes to a company Musk claims quietly abandoned its nonprofit mission to chase billions.

The Associated Press

Narrative B

Nobody walks out of this trial looking good. Musk lost his temper on the stand, tried to strong-arm a last-minute settlement and left for China without the judge's permission. Greg Brockman's private journal showed him fantasizing about making billions. The real losers are the employees and public who believed in OpenAI's nonprofit mission while both founders were scheming for control all along.