Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI starts in 2026

• Published On: 06 April 2025 at 15:09

A federal judge has scheduled a jury trial for billionaire Elon Musk's case against OpenAI in the spring of 2026, marking a significant move in the continuing legal dispute between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California will hear the case, which centres on Musk's assertions that OpenAI abandoned its original nonprofit objective in favour of profit. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who presided over the case, denied Musk's plea to suspend OpenAI's transition to a for-profit model but agreed to an expedited trial timeframe, as both sides had sought.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 but left the firm early, filed the complaint last year. He argues the business has deviated from its original mission of developing artificial intelligence for the good of humanity, accusing Altman and OpenAI of prioritising corporate profit.

OpenAI and Altman have refuted the allegations, claiming that the for-profit structure is necessary to attract the funding needed to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving AI field. Altman has said that Musk, who founded his own AI company, xAI, in 2023, is merely attempting to undercut a competitor.

xAI has acquired Musk's social networking platform X for $33 billion. The merger allows co-investors in X to share in the value of Musk's AI business, escalating the competition with OpenAI.

In a sudden shift earlier this year, Altman reportedly rejected Musk's $97.4 billion unsolicited buyout approach, saying with a brusque "No thank you."

As OpenAI seeks new funding to support its expansion, the outcome of the 2026 trial could have far-reaching consequences for the company's future and the broader debate about the commercialisation of AI.