Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman head to court in high-stakes showdown over AI - AP News

Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires’ once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence. The trial, which began Monday with jury selection, centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion. The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the company’s foundi...

Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman head to court in high-stakes showdown over AI

Protesters are interviewed by media outside the U.S. District Court, in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Sam Altman arrives at the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Elon Musk attends the finals for the NCAA wrestling championship, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Marc Toberoff, attorney for Elon Musk, bottom center, arrives at U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

David J. Wiener, attorney for Sam Altman, arrives at U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

The U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., is photographed Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires’ once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence.

The trial, which started Monday with jury selection, centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

The trial’s outcome could sway the balance of power in AI — breakthrough technology that is increasingly being feared as a potential job killer and an existential threat to humanity’s survival.

Those perceived risks are among the reasons that Musk, the world’s richest person, cites for filing an August 2024 lawsuit that will now be decided by a jury and U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.

The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind his back.

OpenAI has brushed off Musk’s allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that’s aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk’s own xAI, which he launched in 2023 as a competitor.

Gonzalez Rogers questioned potential jurors Monday about their views on Musk, Altman and artificial intelligence. Some jurors said they had negative views of Musk, but most said they would still be able to treat him fairly and focus on the facts of the case.

Trial promises clashing testimony from two tech titans

Musk, who invested about $38 million in OpenAI from December 2015 through May 2017, initially was seeking more than $100 billion in damages.

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