Musk v. Altman goes to trial in Oakland

A four-week federal case over OpenAI’s soul, a diary entry, $150 billion in claimed damages, and the question of whether a nonprofit can become the world’s most valuable AI company. 

The years-long legal battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over the future of OpenAI moved from social media to a federal courtroom in Oakland, California on Monday, as jury selection began in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Opening arguments are expected on Tuesday.

The trial, presided over by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, is scheduled to run for four weeks, through mid-May, with court held Monday through Thursday. The jury’s verdict will be advisory: the ultimate decision on liability and any remedies rests with Judge Gonzalez Rogers herself.

The case centres on Musk’s claim that he co-founded OpenAI in 2015 alongside Altman, Greg Brockman, and others with the explicit ...