In Oakland, California, on March 15, OpenAI and Elon Musk agreed to expedite a trial regarding OpenAI's transition to a for-profit organization. This legal dispute involves the prominent figures of billionaire Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and is unfolding publicly in court.
In December, Elon Musk and OpenAI jointly proposed a trial, as disclosed in a federal court filing on Friday. The decision on whether the expedited case will be determined by a jury or solely by the judge is pending, according to the filing submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The judge recently put on hold OpenAI's shift to a for-profit entity but approved an accelerated trial process scheduled for the fall, marking a significant development in the ongoing legal confrontation.
OpenAI expressed appreciation for the court's ruling on March 4, characterizing Elon Musk's actions as an endeavor to impede OpenAI for personal gain, in a blog post issued on Friday.
Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 but later departed before the company gained momentum, subsequently establishing the competing startup xAI in 2023.
Tesla's CEO and X social media platform owner accused OpenAI last year of deviating from its original altruistic mission of developing AI for societal benefit rather than profit-driven motives.
OpenAI and Altman have refuted these accusations, with Altman claiming that Musk is attempting to hinder a potential competitor.
The lawsuit concerning ChatGPT, a pivotal asset for OpenAI's fundraising efforts and competitiveness in the costly AI industry, hangs in the balance.
OpenAI's valuation of $6.6 billion, along with a potential investment of up to $40 billion from SoftBank Group, relies on OpenAI's transition to eliminate nonprofit control.
The latest court filing was made following Altman's rejection of a $97.4 billion unsolicited acquisition proposal, stating, "no thank you." Altman has affirmed that OpenAI is not up for sale.