Elon Musk has intensified his legal battle against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, publicly accusing them of betraying the company's founding non-profit mission. In a recent post on X, Musk stated, "> I do not like OpenAI scams, I do not like them Sam Altman,” escalating his rhetoric amid a high-stakes trial in a federal court in Oakland, California. The lawsuit, initially filed in 2024 and revived in early 2026, centers on allegations that OpenAI, co-founded by Musk, deviated from its original charitable purpose to become a profit-driven entity.
Musk, who was instrumental in OpenAI's 2015 inception as a non-profit dedicated to safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) for humanity, claims that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman "stole a charity." He alleges that the shift to a capped-profit model in 2019 allowed executives to secure personal financial gains through stock and side deals, abandoning the public good for commercial interests. Musk has referred to Altman as "Scam Altman" on social media, asserting that the company's current structure undermines charitable giving.
OpenAI has vehemently denied Musk's accusations, labeling the lawsuit as "baseless" and driven by competitive jealousy. The company argues that Musk's claims are a distraction, particularly given his establishment of a rival AI firm, xAI, which directly competes with OpenAI. Lawyers for OpenAI contend that Musk himself pushed for a for-profit structure and only sued after failing to gain control of the company.
The ongoing trial, which began on April 27, 2026, involves significant financial stakes, with Musk seeking up to $150 billion in damages. He has stated that any "ill-gotten gains" should be returned to OpenAI's charitable arm, and he is pushing for a restructuring of the company, including the removal of Altman and Brockman. The legal proceedings have drawn considerable attention, highlighting debates over AI governance and the balance between innovation and ethical development.
During the trial, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers admonished both Musk and OpenAI executives to refrain from escalating their public feud on social media. The judge urged both parties to maintain a "clean slate" and minimize online commentary that could impact the proceedings. This judicial intervention underscores the intense public and legal scrutiny surrounding the dispute between two of the tech industry's most prominent figures.
