According to Reuters, the document, filed on Friday at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, states that OpenAI and the billionaire will have a trial in December. It is yet to be determined whether a jury or just the judge will make a final decision.
Elon Musk and OpenAI have agreed to an expedited trial in December over the startup’s transition to a for-profit model. Musk previously sued OpenAI’s leadership for breaching its original nonprofit mission and attempted to acquire its assets in a $96.7 billion bid. With a $157 billion valuation and potential new investments, OpenAI faces increasing scrutiny.
— Anna Tong (@annatonger) March 15, 2025 Since 2024 Musk has been trying to block OpenAI’s for-profit shift and has used multiple legal strategies to hinder the development of the company he co-founded in 2015—but left in 2018. In February 2024 he filed a lawsuit against cofounders Greg Brockman and Sam Altman for breaching the startup’s original non-profit mission but dropped it in June before the hearing. Later, in November 2024, he filed an injunction against OpenAI and Microsoft for anti-competitive practices, adding new accusations. A federal judge denied Musk’s request on March 4 but suggested an expedited trial now officially accepted by both parties. “Our Board has been very clear that we intend to strengthen the non-profit so that it can deliver on its mission for the long term,” shared OpenAI in a public statement on its website on Friday. “We’re not selling it, we’re doubling down on its work. Musk, and a group of investors, also tried to acquire OpenAI’s non profit assets by placing a bid for $96.7 billion in February, increasing tensions among stakeholders. Altman rejected the offer publicly, on Musk’s social media platform X. OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in its latest funding round in October 2024, reaching a $157 billion valuation. It is currently under discussion for a new $40 billion investment led by SoftBank Group where a condition to remove the non-profit control has been placed.
