Musk Loses Lawsuit Against OpenAI as Jury Finds He Sued Too Late

(CNA, Oakland, 18th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) A federal jury today found that Elon Musk sued OpenAI and its co-founders too late, ruling in favor of the startup that developed ChatGPT and concluding one of Silicon Valley's most-watched legal battles. According to Agence France-Presse, the swift verdict brought an end to a three-week trial during which several tech giants testified. Musk had argued that OpenAI's shift to a for-profit business model violated its original non-profit mission. The jury at the Oakland federal court found that Musk's claims against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, President Greg Brockman, the OpenAI Foundation, and Microsoft were barred by the statute of limitations, thereby dismissing the billionaire's core arguments. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who had previously requested an advisory opinion from the jury on the case, accepted and confirmed their decision. This outcome averts a legal threat that could have jeopardized OpenAI's existence. Had Musk, who sought to force OpenAI to revert to its non-profit structure, won, it would have derailed OpenAI's planned initial public offering (IPO) and dismantled its relationships with key investors like Microsoft, Amazon, and SoftBank, who have poured billions of dollars into the company in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. After the verdict, OpenAI lawyer William Savitt stated outside the courthouse, "The jury's verdict confirms that this lawsuit was a hypocritical attempt to undermine a competitor... Musk can make his allegations, he can tell his story, but these nine jurors found that his story was just that, a story, not the facts." According to Bloomberg News, Musk has indicated he will appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Translator: Liu Shu-qin) 1150519