Elon Musk loses lawsuit against OpenAI

"A US jury has ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world's richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity. In a unanimous verdict on Monday, the jury in Oakland, California federal court said Musk had brought his case too late. The jury deliberated less than two hours."

"Following the verdict, Musk's lawyer said he reserved the right to appeal, but the judge suggested he may have an uphill battle because whether the statute of limitations ran out before Musk sued was a factual issue. There's a substantial amount of evidence to support the jury's finding, which is why I was prepared to dismiss on the spot, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said."

"Musk, was a co-founder of OpenAI, the company that launched in 2015 and went on to create ChatGPT. After investing $38m in its first years, Musk in 2024 accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his top deputy of shifting into a moneymaking mode behind his back. The trial that began April 27 shed light on the bitter falling-out between the two Silicon Valley titans and the beginnings of OpenAI."

"Altman and OpenAI claimed there was never a promise to keep OpenAI a nonprofit forever. In fact, they argued, Musk knew this and filed his lawsuit because he couldn't have unilateral control over the fast-growing AI developer. Musk was seeking damages to be paid to the altruistic efforts of OpenAI's charitable arm as well as Altman's ouster from OpenAI's board."

A unanimous jury in Oakland, California found that Elon Musk brought his lawsuit against OpenAI too late. The jury deliberated for less than two hours. The case centered on whether OpenAI was liable for allegedly moving away from an original mission focused on benefiting humanity. Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, accused OpenAI leadership of shifting toward a moneymaking approach. OpenAI and its leadership argued there was never a promise to keep OpenAI a nonprofit forever and that Musk knew this when he sued. Musk sought damages tied to OpenAI’s charitable efforts and sought Altman’s removal from the board. The judge indicated an appeal could face difficulty because the timing issue involved factual findings.

Read at www.aljazeera.com