Trending Now - Trust Issues Arise Amidst AI Boom and Musk-altman Drama

WHO:

The Washington Post - Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; Shivon Zilis, Musk's partner and mother of some of his children.

The Guardian - A nine-person jury; Musk's lawyers; OpenAI's lawyers; former OpenAI executives including Mira Murati and Natasha McCauley; Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist.

WHAT:

The Guardian - Musk's suit claims a breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment by Altman and Brockman.

The Guardian - If the jury finds OpenAI liable, the verdict could present difficulties for the company, which is seeking to go public later this year at a valuation of $1 trillion.

The Guardian - Musk testified for three consecutive days, during which he claimed that the founding mission of OpenAI was borne out of his fear that Google could not be trusted to develop artificial intelligence.

The Guardian - Musk stated, “They’re going to make this lawsuit very complicated, but it’s actually quite simple, which is: it’s not OK to steal a charity. That’s my view.”

The Guardian - Nadella described the situation during the 2023 board conflict as “amateur city, as far as I’m concerned,” expressing concern that employees would leave en masse.

The Guardian - Zilis denied ever acting as a spy for Musk, despite accusations from OpenAI’s lawyers.

The Guardian - A federal court trial is examining Musk's allegations against Altman and OpenAI regarding "stealing a charity."

The Guardian - Musk is seeking the removal of Altman and Brockman, the undoing of OpenAI’s for-profit restructuring, and the redistribution of $134 billion from its for-profit entity to its non-profit organization.

The Guardian - Musk testified for three consecutive days, claiming he was the primary reason OpenAI was founded and accusing Altman of abandoning its charitable mission for profit.

The Guardian - Altman claimed Musk was a difficult co-founder who sought total control over OpenAI.

WHERE:

The Washington Post - The trial is taking place in a federal courthouse in Oakland, California.

WHEN:

The Guardian - Deliberations by the jury are set to begin on Monday.

WHY:

The Guardian - Musk alleges that Altman and Brockman broke a founding agreement of OpenAI, which was established as a non-profit in 2015, by restructuring it into a for-profit entity.

The Guardian - Musk claims he was swindled by Altman, who lured him in as a co-founder and took his financial backing for personal gains.

HOW:

The Guardian - The trial has included testimonies from a range of witnesses, including tech industry leaders and former OpenAI executives, with private text messages, emails, and diary entries introduced as evidence.

(UPDATED May 17, 2026 21:11 UTC)

In a high-profile lawsuit, Musk is claiming a breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment against OpenAI's Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, asserting that the founding mission of OpenAI was driven by his concerns over Google's trustworthiness in developing artificial intelligence. Musk testified for three consecutive days, emphasizing that it's fundamentally wrong to exploit a charity, while the trial has featured testimonies from various tech leaders and former OpenAI executives, with private communications presented as evidence. If the jury finds OpenAI liable, it could complicate the company's plans to go public later this year at a staggering valuation of $1 trillion.

(UPDATED May 17, 2026 11:17 UTC)

In a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, a trial is underway examining Elon Musk's allegations against Sam Altman and OpenAI regarding claims of "stealing a charity." Musk is seeking the removal of Altman and Greg Brockman, the undoing of OpenAI’s for-profit restructuring, and the redistribution of $134 billion from its for-profit entity to its non-profit organization, asserting that he was misled by Altman, who he claims abandoned the organization's charitable mission. The jury is set to begin deliberations on Monday, following three days of testimony from Musk and various witnesses, including tech industry leaders and former OpenAI executives, with evidence such as private messages and emails presented in court.