Elon Musk dropped his personal damages claim as his case against OpenAI opened Monday in federal court in Oakland.
Opening statements began Tuesday after a nine-member jury was selected a day earlier.
Musk is pursuing claims of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment against OpenAI, its chief executive Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers set May 12 for jurors to begin deliberations on liability.
Musk said Altman and Brockman abandoned the company’s founding purpose and turned it into a “wealth machine” for investors.
He is seeking $150 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, with any proceeds directed to OpenAI’s charitable arm. He also asked the court to order a return to a nonprofit model and remove Altman and Brockman from leadership roles.
Musk said he contributed about $38 million to help start OpenAI. He said the company created a for-profit entity in 2019, just over a year after he left its board.
OpenAI said Musk knew about the change and supported it. It said he sued after he failed to become chief executive and later started a rival AI company, xAI, in 2023.
Nine jurors drawn from public and private sector backgrounds will decide liability before any ruling on remedies.
Musk, Altman and Satya Nadella are expected to testify, with Musk likely to take the stand this week.
Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 to develop artificial intelligence for public benefit and compete with companies such as Google.
Microsoft said it partnered with OpenAI after Musk left and denied any coordination in the company’s structure.
OpenAI said Musk’s claims are tied to his competing AI venture. The company launched ChatGPT and later changed its structure.
Erizia Rubyjeana
