Elon Musk accuses Sam Altman of diverting OpenAI from its nonprofit mission in major court case

Sat, 02 May 2026 19:07:00 +0200

Elon Musk has accused fellow OpenAI co‑founder Sam Altman of trying to effectively take control of what started as a charity‑focused nonprofit, during the opening stages of a high‑stakes civil trial in California. Musk is suing OpenAI, Altman, co‑founder Greg Brockman, and Microsoft, claiming that after OpenAI’s founding in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to broadly benefitting humanity, the company shifted toward a for‑profit model that enriched insiders while abandoning its original mission. Musk alleges that this move was a breach of trust and that he is owed up to about 150 billion dollars in damages, which he says should be returned to OpenAI’s charitable arm.

During testimony, Musk framed the dispute as a moral and legal issue about the misuse of a charitable venture, arguing it would be unacceptable if charities could be 'plundered' for private gain. His legal team highlighted that Musk personally contributed roughly 38 million dollars in early funding and helped recruit key tale