You can now follow Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI via a YouTube livestream—something that wasn’t previously possible for federal trials.
A new rule in the Northern District of California allows civil proceedings to be streamed, and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is the first in the district to apply it, broadcasting the trial from Oakland.
There are still strict limits: the stream is audio-only, and recording or rebroadcasting is not allowed. To fully follow the case, attending in person or relying on coverage is still necessary.
The lawsuit centers on Musk’s claim that OpenAI shifted away from its original nonprofit mission, while Altman argues Musk is trying to slow down a competitor to his own AI company.
The trial has already included testimony from Musk and his associate Jared Birchall, with AI expert Stuart Russell appearing for Musk’s side and OpenAI president Greg Brockman expected to testify.
This shift toward livestreaming reflects a broader push in U.S. courts to improve transparency, building on temporary access measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.