The legal fight between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has taken a dramatic turn. Newly unsealed court filings reveal that Musk sought a last-minute settlement just days before the trial was set to begin, but the effort fell through.
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At the center of the dispute is a growing clash between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the future and direction of the AI firm. The lawsuit is highlighting deep tensions and hostility between the two former partners.
Musk Allegedly Warns OpenAI President After Settlement Talk Failed
According to a recent court filing, Musk reached out to OpenAI President Greg Brockman two days before the trial began. He was checking if both sides could reach an agreement and avoid going to court. Brockman suggested a simple solution, noting that both sides should drop all claims against each other and move on.
Musk, however, did not agree. Instead, he allegedly responded with a warning, saying that if the case continued, Brockman and Altman would become “the most hated men in America by the end of that week.” The exchange shows how tense things had become even before the trial started.
Meanwhile, OpenAI’s legal team wasted no time. They asked the judge to allow Brockman to show the jury the message Musk had allegedly sent on the eve of the trial. The trial is being held in Oakland, California, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. It started on April 28 and could run for several more weeks, with a verdict expected around mid-May.
Musk, his lawyer, and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Musk Takes OpenAI to Court Over Betrayal
The legal case between Musk and OpenAI centers on a dispute that has been ongoing for years. Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, its CEO, and its President, alleging that the firm betrayed its original goal of being a non-profit by shifting to a for-profit model. He also claims that the leaders unfairly profited from his early support.
On April 30, Musk admitted he had not read all the details of a key 2017 agreement and had only looked at the main points. As such, the SpaceX founder is now asking for $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft (MSFT). He has also requested that OpenAI be reversed to its non-profit status and that Altman and Brockman be removed from their executive positions.
According to the filing, Altman, Brockman, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are expected to speak in court before the trial ends. If the court rules in Musk’s favor, OpenAI’s plans to go public could be delayed or halted fully, which could also affect the broader AI industry.
Is OpenAI Going to Be Public?
OpenAI has not set a firm date for its initial public offering (IPO), but the company is widely anticipated to go public in 2026, alongside competitors such as Anthropic. For more information and analysts’ insights on OpenAI ahead of its IPO, visit TipRanks’ private company center.
