On April 27, 2026, the highly publicized case of Elon Musk suing OpenAI and its execs Sam Altman and Greg Brockman officially hit the courts at the federal district court in Oakland, California. Inside the courtroom, Chief Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers presided over the jury selection on the first day, with opening statements expected to kick off on Tuesday. It’s understood that the liability phase of the trial is set to roll on until mid-May, with Musk, Altman, and Brockman all slated to testify.

From nonprofit intentions to the drama of monetization

The core of the case revolves around OpenAI's founding intentions and its subsequent structural changes. Musk accused Altman and Brockman of clearly promising to maintain a non-profit status when they founded OpenAI in 2015, focusing on developing AI for the benefit of humanity. Musk stated that this promise was what led him to invest $38 million in the company.

However, OpenAI later introduced a profit structure and established deep partnerships with giants like Microsoft, which triggered Musk's strong dissatisfaction. Musk is claiming up to $134 billion in damages in the lawsuit, but he also stated that any compensation received will be returned to OpenAI's non-profit section. Furthermore, he demands the court to remove Altman and Brockman from their positions and to withdraw OpenAI's profit-making transition.

The X platform outside the court has become the 'second battlefield.'

Although the court hearings have just begun, the public relations battle outside the courtroom is already in full swing. On the day of jury selection, Musk and OpenAI's official account (@OpenAINewsroom) engaged in intense exchanges on the X platform. The OpenAI official news account fired the first shot, stating:

"We can’t wait to present our arguments in court, where the truth and the law are on our side. This lawsuit has always been a baseless, jealousy-driven attempt to undermine a competitor. We will also finally have the opportunity to question Mr. Musk before a California jury, under oath, about this attempt to sabotage our work, to ensure that General AI (AGI) benefits all of humanity."

Later, Musk also took to X to post continuously, targeting Altman directly. He retweeted a post from DogeDesigner which quoted former OpenAI board member Helen Toner, accusing Altman of being a 'liar.' Musk harshly stated in his retweet: "'Liar' Altman did not tell the OpenAI board that he owned the OpenAI startup fund. Altman lied in congressional testimony, saying he didn't gain financial benefits from OpenAI." He also slammed: "'Liar' Altman and Brockman stole a charity. Period. (Full stop)." Musk further accused Brockman of securing billions of dollars worth of stock for himself, while Altman pocketed through various side deals.

Musk is accused of using X's 'Boost' feature to aggressively promote negative news.

In addition to blasting Altman as a liar on X, media outlets (WIRED) also pointed out that Musk leveraged X's paid 'Boost' feature to strongly promote an in-depth investigative article by New Yorker journalist Ronan Farrow regarding Altman's alleged fraudulent behavior. Many users saw a pop-up clearly indicating that the content was paid promotion by @elonmusk when they scrolled past the post on Monday.

Musk subsequently retweeted the investigative report, stating: "Calling him 'liar' Altman is quite accurate; this article is definitely worth a read."

This move raised questions about platform fairness. Although the streamed content was not labeled as 'advertisement' on the feed, users found the option to 'report ad' when they opened the menu.

This case not only concerns massive compensation and the power structures of well-known tech companies but also touches on the delicate balance between ethics, business, and public interest in AI development. As the hearings progress, the drama between Musk and OpenAI will unfold in court, and the global tech community is watching closely.

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