Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and its co-founders has been dismissed after a California jury found that his claims were filed too late. The nine jurors delivered a unanimous verdict, concluding that any potential harm to Musk occurred before the statute of limitations deadline in 2021.
The trial centered on whether Sam Altman and other defendants had broken promises to Musk regarding OpenAI's charitable trust status. However, the jury found that the evidence presented did not support Musk's claims. The specific dates in question were August 5, 2021, for the first count, August 5, 2022, for the second count, and November 14, 2021, for the third count.
The dismissal of Musk's lawsuit means that one potential threat to OpenAI is now off the table ahead of its reported IPO. Microsoft, which was also sued by Musk, welcomed the verdict and reaffirmed its commitment to working with OpenAI on AI development. Elon Musk has stated his intention to appeal the decision, citing concerns about creating a precedent that could harm charitable giving in America.
The estimated damages sought by Musk were in the range of $78.8 billion to $135 billion. The jury's deliberation period was short, just over an hour and a half, reflecting their confidence in the verdict.
