Elon Musk loses lawsuit against OpenAI
Sam Altman and Elon Musk
Photos: Reuters
A United States jury ruled this Monday (18) against Elon Musk in the case in which the billionaire accused OpenAI, owner of artificial intelligence ChatGPT, of having strayed from its original mission.
The jurors concluded that the company cannot be held responsible for Musk's accusations of having aimed at profit and failing to prioritize the development of AI for the benefit of humanity.
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The trial began on April 28 and was seen as an important moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence in general, especially in the debate about how this technology should be used and who should profit from it.
Currently, artificial intelligence is used in several areas, such as education, facial recognition, financial consultancy, journalism, legal research, medical diagnoses and even in the creation of fake videos known as "deepfakes".
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At the same time, the technology arouses distrust and concern, mainly due to the fear that it will replace jobs.
The verdict was announced after 11 days of testimonies and debates in court, marked by questions about the credibility of both Musk and Sam Altman, owner of OpenAI.
The two sides accused each other of prioritizing financial interests over the public benefit.
In the phase At the end of the trial, Musk's lawyer, Steven Molo, told jurors that several witnesses questioned Altman's sincerity or even called him a liar.
He also highlighted that Musk avoided stating, during the trial, that he was completely trustworthy.
"Sam Altman's credibility is directly at stake," said Molo. "If you don't believe in him, they can't win."
Understand the dispute
Elon Musk is questioned by Microsoft lawyer Russell Cohen during Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI's for-profit conversion in federal court in Oakland, California, USA, on April 30, 2026, in a courtroom portrait.
REUTERS/Vicki Behringer
Musk accused OpenAI of trying to enrich investors and people connected to the organization at at the expense of the company's original mission, in addition to not prioritizing the security of artificial intelligence.
According to him, Microsoft knew from the beginning that OpenAI was more focused on profit than on altruism.
OpenAI countered by saying that Musk took too long to allege a breach of the original agreement and stated that it was the businessman himself who began to show greater financial interest in the AI sector.
"Mr. Musk may have the Midas touch - an expression used to describe someone who turns almost everything into success or profit - in some areas, but not in artificial intelligence", said William Savitt, a lawyer at Microsoft. OpenAI, in the final argument.
OpenAI competes for space in the AI market with companies like Anthropic and xAI and is preparing for a possible IPO that could value the company at around US$1 trillion (around R$7.2 trillion).
A Microsoft executive stated at the trial that the company has already invested more than US$100 billion in its partnership with OpenAI.
Musk's xAI is now part of SpaceX, which is also prepares an IPO that could surpass OpenAI in size.
Source: G1