Inside the $150B Legal Battle: Elon Musk Takes OpenAI to Court

Quick Summary A jury has been seated in Oakland federal court for Elon Musk’s legal action against OpenAI and Sam Altman The lawsuit demands $150 billion in damages, alleging OpenAI betrayed its original charitable purpose Newly disclosed internal records, including diary entries from a co-founder, show tensions during OpenAI’s formative years At its core, the trial examines charitable trust law and whether OpenAI improperly transferred public resources to private entities Testimony is anticipated from Musk, Altman, and Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO The legal confrontation between Elon Musk and OpenAI advanced to the courtroom this week following the completion of jury selection on Monday at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California. ELON MUSK: "Scam Altman owned the OpenAI Startup fund while simultaneously lying to the world that he didn’t financially benefit from OpenAI" pic.twitter.com/wBwyrMOPZq — Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) April 27, 2026 Musk, who helped establish OpenAI in its earliest stages, filed suit against the organization, its CEO Sam Altman, and fellow co-founder Greg Brockman in 2024. His central allegation is that they violated OpenAI’s foundational commitment to operate as a nonprofit entity serving the public interest. The billionaire entrepreneur is pursuing $150 billion in damages from both OpenAI and Microsoft, a major financial backer of the AI company. Should Musk prevail, the funds would be directed to OpenAI’s nonprofit division. The trial’s opening arguments are scheduled for Tuesday. Nine individuals were selected for the jury after going through voir dire with the presiding judge and attorneys representing both parties. While several potential jurors voiced unfavorable opinions about Musk, the majority indicated they could judge the case impartially. Private records made public through litigation proceedings offer an unprecedented window into OpenAI’s formative period. One diary passage from Brockman, dated 2017, states: “This is the...