CALIFORNIA, USA – A US jury on Monday, May 18, ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world’s richest person for allegedly straying from its original mission to benefit humanity.
In a unanimous verdict, the jury in Oakland, California, federal court said Musk brought his case too late. The jury deliberated less than two hours.
The three-week trial had widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and who should benefit from it.
The verdict simplifies the path for OpenAI to proceed with a possible initial public offering that could value the business at $1 trillion.
But OpenAI’s public face, chief executive Sam Altman, must also address challenges to his reputation from some personal testimony during the trial, including multiple witnesses describing him as a liar.
