Tech Billionaire Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI is set to go to a jury trial in spring 2026, the federal judge leading the case decided on Friday.
Last month, OpenAI and Musk agreed to expedite a trial over the ChatGPT manufacturer’s for-profit transition.
The latest turn in an intensifying battle match between the Tesla owner and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman playing out publicly in court.
Related: OpenAI plans to raise $40 Billion to revolutionize AI tools and infrastructure
The judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, rejected Musk's request to pause OpenAI's shift to a for-profit model and rather proposed a fast-track trial.
Back in 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman but later on sued and left the company and founded the competing startup xAI in 2023.
In 2024, Musk accused OpenAI and Altman of straying from its founding mission.
However, Altman and OpenAI denied all the allegations, while Altman accuses that Musk has been constantly trying to impede a rival.
At stake in the lawsuit is OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model, which the startup says is essential to raise more capital in the AI race.
OpenAI is currently raising a funding round of almost $40 billion directed by Japanese tech investment group SoftBank.
SoftBank stated that it had agreed to fund OpenAI with $10 billion in mid-April and an extra $30 billion back in December.
Altman, who stated OpenAI is not for sale, denied a $97.4 billion unwanted acquisition bid earlier this year from a Musk-led consortium with a “no thank you.”
