CA - Musk v. Altman, N.D. Cal., No. 4:24-cv-04722

[arielilane]

The case caption alone will likely elicit a reaction from the roughly 100 potential jurors summoned to an Oakland federal courtroom Monday.

The trial of Elon Musk v. Samuel Altman is beginning. And the personal feelings of jurors will pose a special challenge in the multi-billion dollar trial over Musk’s claims that Altman betrayed OpenAI’s founding principles, as it features two household names that each come with significant baggage.

The American public’s broad antipathy toward the AI industry looms over the trial, as well.

Weeks ago, a man was arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s San Francisco home, and polls have shown Americans hold negative views toward AI. Last month, Musk alleged a San Francisco jury showed bias against him.

Musk v. Altman Case Will Test Jury Process for Rich and Famous

Jury selection can play a critical role in the outcome of a trial. That process is even more fraught in the matter of Musk v. Altman, a San Francisco federal court case pitting the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, against his OpenAI co-founder, Samuel Altman as each enter the fray Monday with...

news.bloomberglaw.com

4/24/2026

The case is Musk v. Altman, N.D. Cal., No. 4:24-cv-04722, jury selection 4/27/26.

 

[arielilane]

Not sure if theres much interest in this case (hope I am wrong) but for those interested here's a thread.

Jury selection begins Monday, April 27, 2026.

Since it's CA, I doubt trial will be live streamed. We shall see.

Happy posting!

 

[arielilane]

KEY POINTS

• The high-profile trial between Elon Musk and Sam Altman is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection.
• In his $134 billion lawsuit, Musk claimed that OpenAI, Altman and the company’s president, Greg Brockman, reneged on a vow they made to keep the AI lab a nonprofit in perpetuity.
• The trial lands as Musk is preparing to take SpaceX public in what will likely be a record IPO, and as OpenAI gears up for a potential public offering later this year.

Musk v. Altman heads to court next week. Here's what's at stake

The high-profile trial between Elon Musk and Sam Altman is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection.

www.cnbc.com

4/24/2026

 

[arielilane]

Two titans of the tech world will face off in court starting on Monday.

Elon Musk, of Tesla and SpaceX, is suing Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, in a high-stakes clash between former partners over the future of one of the world's most influential AI companies.

Musk alleges he was duped when Altman transformed OpenAI from a nonprofit entity into a for-profit juggernaut. Thanks to the viral success of ChatGPT, the company now has a valuation approaching $1 trillion and is angling for a stock listing.

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/27/nx-s1-5795661/trial-openai-elon-musk-sam-altman

4/27/2026

 

[imstilla.grandma]

This is the only chance we have to get out from Elon," wrote Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president and a co-founder, in the fall of 2017. “Is he the ‘glorious leader’ that I would pick?”

Brockman's diary entry is part of the thousands of pages of internal documents ‌revealed in court since Musk, one of the original co-founders of OpenAI, sued the company, its chief executive Altman and Brockman in 2024.

Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft (MSFT.O), one of its largest investors, according to a person involved in the case, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.

Jury selection for the trial began on Monday in the Oakland, California, federal court, with Altman in attendance.

One prospective juror lamented that AI added to her workload instead of decreasing it, while another said, "my strongest opinion is that Elon doesn't care about people."

https://www.reuters.com/business/elon-musks-trial-against-sam-altman-reveal-ongoing-power-struggle-openai-2026-04-27/

The trial is scheduled to run for four weeks, with a cast of prominent tech executives set to testify. Witnesses are expected to include not only Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, but possibly also Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and current and former OpenAI board members, as well as top AI researchers.

“Billionaires versus billionaires,” observed Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the case, in a hearing last year in Oakland, just across San Francisco Bay from OpenAI’s headquarters.

At the heart of the case is OpenAI’s transformation from a nonprofit research center founded in 2015 into a for-profit behemoth, now with billions of dollars in outside investment. Altman and Musk were the founding co-chairs of OpenAI.

What's at stake in the Elon Musk-Sam Altman trial

The trial is scheduled to run for four weeks, with a cast of prominent tech executives set to take the stand.

www.nbcnews.com

The trial, which is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection, centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI's CEO, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the company's founding mission to be an altruistic steward of the technology.

Musk v. Altman live updates: Trial that could alter direction of artificial intelligence begins

Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires' once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence.

abc7news.com

 

[arielilane]

• Sam Altman showed up in court as jury selection began in a civil trial between him and Elon Musk.
• Some potential jurors offered unfavorable views about AI — and Musk.
• Musk sued OpenAI, Altman, and OpenAI president Greg Brockman two years ago.

Sam Altman makes surprise courtroom appearance as potential jurors slam AI, Elon Musk

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was spotted at a California courthouse, where some potential jurors shared unfavorable views about AI — and Elon Musk

www.businessinsider.com

4/27/2026

 

[arielilane]

LIVE: Outside court amid jury selection for Musk, Altman's OpenAI trial​

With OpenAI's chief executive Sam Altman in attendance, jury selection began for a trial in Oakland, California, where Elon Musk, one of the original co-founders of the leading artificial intelligence firm, is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, according to a person involved in the case, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.

 

[arielilane]

Elon Musk really wants to make sure you've read Ronan Farrow's Sam Altman investigation

Elon Musk boosted Ronan Farrow's profile questioning Sam Altman's trustworthiness as the two tech titans face each other in court.

www.businessinsider.com

4/27/2026

 

[arielilane]

Jury Selection Signals the Start of Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Blockbuster Court Battle​

If Musk succeeds, OpenAI can go back to being a non-profit and Sam Altman can be ousted.

4.27.2026

Jury Selection Signals the Start of Elon Musk and OpenAI's Blockbuster Court Battle

If Musk succeeds, OpenAI can go back to being a non-profit and Sam Altman can be ousted.

gizmodo.com

 

[arielilane]

Judge in Musk v. Altman seats nine-person jury. Opening arguments start Tuesday​

Judge in Musk v. Altman seats nine-person jury. Opening arguments start Tuesday

The Musk v. Altman trial kicked off at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, with jury selection followed by opening arguments.

www.cnbc.com

4.27.2026

The liability phase of the trial is expected to wrap up by May 21, Gonzalez Rogers said Monday.



Lawyers grilled prospective jurors on their views on AI, Musk and Altman. Some confessed to holding negative views of Musk due to his political ideology.

“The reality is people don’t like him,” Gonzales Rogers said at one point. She expressed confidence that the jurors selected will respect the judicial process and the facts of the case.

Altman and Brockman were in the courtroom on Monday.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, sued the company, Altman and Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president, in 2024, alleging they reneged on their commitments to keep the artificial intelligence lab a nonprofit and follow its charitable mission. OpenAI has repeatedly dismissed Musk’s lawsuit as “baseless.”Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018, and five years later started xAIas a rival, merging that company with SpaceX earlier this year.

Musk has sought a number of different remedies over the course of the case, including the removal of Altman and Brockman from their roles at OpenAI. Musk’s lawyers said in January that he should receive up to $134 billion in “wrongful gains,” though he has since asked to funnel those funds back into the OpenAI charity

Gonzalez Rogers opted to divide the trial into two parts: a liability phase to decide if any wrongdoing occurred, and a remedies phase to determine the appropriate damages and next steps. The jury will weigh in during the liability phase only, and its verdict will be advisory, which means Gonzalez Rogers will make the final decision in both sections of the trial.

The liability phase of the trial is expected to wrap up by May 21, Gonzalez Rogers said Monday.

Judge in Musk v. Altman seats nine-person jury. Opening arguments start Tuesday

The Musk v. Altman trial kicked off at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, with jury selection followed by opening arguments.

www.cnbc.com

 

[arielilane]

The Brief​

• Elon Musk arrived before opening statements began for a high-stakes trial against Sam Altman on Tuesday – but it wasn't in a Tesla.
• Instead, Musk arrived in a black Cadillac, for reasons not immediately clear.
• Musk sued Sam Altman over the Open AI's founding mission.

Elon Musk shows up to OpenAI trial - but not in a Tesla

Elon Musk arrived before opening statements began for a high-stakes trial against Sam Altman on Tuesday – but it wasn't in a Tesla.

www.ktvu.com

4/28/2026

 

[arielilane]

The federal case, which concerns OpenAI's evolution from nonprofit to profit-seeking, kicked off on Monday in Oakland, California. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is managing proceedings alongside nine jurors and no alternates, according to a court filing last month.


OpenAI, which is not publicly traded, valued itself at $852 billion after a round of funding in March. Microsoft's value -- as measured by market capitalization -- stands at about $3.1 trillion.


After jury selection, the case will take place in two sections, Gonzalez Rogers said in a court filing.

What to know about the Elon Musk versus Sam Altman trial over OpenAI

The federal case, which concerns OpenAI's evolution from nonprofit to profit-seeking, kicked off this week in Oakland, California.

abcnews.com

4/28/2026

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2048924722587447337

 

[arielilane]

https://www.today.com/video/elon-musk-testifies-in-trial-against-openai-and-ceo-sam-altman-262355525591

Elon Musk Testifies in Trial Against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman​

Billionaire Elon Musk is expected to take the stand again in Oakland, California, in a landmark civil trial that could have a major impact on the development of artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, Musk accused OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman of straying from its original nonprofit mission. Musk left OpenAI in 2018 which is now a for-profit company.

 

[arielilane]

OAKLAND, Calif. — One of the biggest trials in tech is underway, and it did not take long for the accusations to start flying.

Elon Musk blasts Sam Altman over OpenAI restructuring in tech trial

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO took the stand Tuesday in the first day of testimony for his lawsuit against the AI company, which he co-founded.

www.nbcnews.com

4/28/2026

 

[arielilane]

Regardless of whether tech billionaire Elon Musk ends up winning a closely watched lawsuit playing out in federal court, he gained one thing this week: attention.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2049433554283610199

Inside Day 2 of the OpenAI trial: All eyes on Elon Musk

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO was immediately met by a swarm of photographers and television cameras trying to get a view after he entered the Oakland courthouse.

www.nbcnews.com

4/28/2026

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Elon Musk took the stand for a second day in a high-stakes trial against OpenAI and Chief Executive Sam Altman, putting a spotlight on the yearslong, bitter feud between titans of the artificial-intelligence industry.

Musk has accused Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman of manipulating him into donating tens of millions of dollars to help launch the AI lab as a nonprofit seeking to benefit humanity, only to turn it into a for-profit company. “It’s not OK to steal a charity,” Musk said during his testimony on Tuesday in a federal courtroom in Oakland, Calif.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/elon-musk-takes-stand-in-second-day-of-trial-against-openai-59d50fbf

https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/trial-in-elon-musks-lawsuit-over-openai-for-profit-conversion-at-a-federal-courthouse-in-oakland/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMjNaS0FMWkpWTA

 

[arielilane]

Musk's testimony will continue on Thursday.

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5803833/elon-musk-testimony-openai-altman-day-2

4/29/2026

 

[arielilane]

Everything You Missed From Elon Musk's Testimony in the OpenAI Trial

He had a lot to say. He'd probably like to take some of it back.

gizmodo.com

5.1.2026