Elon Musk says he will appeal after suffering a major defeat in court against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman.
On Monday, a California jury ruled in favor of OpenAI and Altman, rejecting Musk’s claims that he was misled after the company shifted from a nonprofit research lab into a partially for-profit business.
Musk dismissed the outcome as being based on “a calendar technicality” rather than the core arguments of the case.
Posting on X, Musk claimed the court never ruled on the actual merits of the lawsuit and confirmed he plans to take the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“There is no question,” Musk wrote, “that Altman and Greg Brockman enriched themselves by stealing a charity.”
The jury determined Musk waited too long to file the lawsuit under California’s statute of limitations rules. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers accepted the unanimous verdict shortly afterward.
During the trial, OpenAI’s lawyers argued Musk had previously supported plans for the company to raise capital and even discussed partnerships involving Tesla. They claimed the lawsuit was an attempt to slow down OpenAI after Musk’s rival AI company, xAI, fell behind.
Musk had sought billions in damages and attempted to remove Altman from his leadership role at OpenAI. Both Musk and Altman testified during the trial.