Judge Denies Elon Musk's Bid to Dismiss OpenAI's Harassment Claims

Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's harassment claims denied in court

Aug 13 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's claims of a "years-long harassment campaign" by the Tesla CEO against the company he co-founded in 2015 and later abandoned before ChatGPT became a global phenomenon. In the latest turn in a court battle that kicked off last year, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk must face OpenAI's claims that the billionaire, through press statements, social media posts, legal claims and "a sham bid for OpenAI's assets" had attempted to harm the AI startup. Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman last year over the company's transition to a for-profit model, accusing the company of straying from its founding mission of developing AI for the good of humanity, not profit. OpenAI countersued Musk in April, accusing the billionaire of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk then asked for OpenAI's counterclaims to be dismissed or delayed until a later stage in the case. OpenAI argued in May its countersuit should not be put on hold, and the judge on Tuesday concluded that the company's allegations were legally sufficient to proceed. A jury trial has been scheduled for spring 2026. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Elon Musk will have to answer OpenAI's harassment claims in court

A court rejected this week Elon Musk's effort to dismiss OpenAI's claims of harassment. It represents just the latest development in a complicated battle between Musk and OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company run by Sam Altman. The long and short of it: The fight between the tech bros will continue apace. Nothing has been decided in the case, but, as Reuters reported, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk has to face harassment claims from OpenAI, which accuses the xAI chief of engaging in a years-long campaign to harm the AI company. Musk helped start OpenAI and previously served on its board, but later resigned and started xAI, a rival artificial intelligence company. In her decision, the judge seemed to be annoyed with both Musk and OpenAI, accusing them of gamesmanship. "The gamesmanship of both sides is obvious, as each flip flops," Gonzalez Rogers wrote, according to Bloomberg. The drama has played out on social media and in courtrooms. Musk sued OpenAI for breach of contract after it transitioned to a for-profit corporate structure, and he has also repeatedly challenged OpenAI and Altman on X. Altman's OpenAI countersued and, on Tuesday, the judge ruled there were enough grounds for the harassment claims to move forward. This is just one of many current feuds among tech overlords. On Monday night, Musk threatened to sue Apple, alleging (sans evidence) that the tech giant suppressed the app store ranking of xAI's Grok app in order to protect -- you guessed it -- OpenAI. Meta and OpenAI, meanwhile, remain locked in a battle for AI supremacy, with Meta's chief Mark Zuckerberg shelling out wheelbarrows of cash to poach talent. It seems no matter where you look these days, the tech companies are feuding. It feels safe to assume we can expect more of the same for the foreseeable future.

Musk's Bid to Dismiss OpenAI's Harassment Claims Denied in Court

(Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's claims of a "years-long harassment campaign" by the Tesla CEO against the company he co-founded in 2015 and later abandoned before ChatGPT became a global phenomenon. In the latest turn in a court battle that kicked off last year, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk must face OpenAI's claims that the billionaire, through press statements, social media posts, legal claims and "a sham bid for OpenAI's assets" had attempted to harm the AI startup. Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman last year over the company's transition to a for-profit model, accusing the company of straying from its founding mission of developing AI for the good of humanity, not profit. OpenAI countersued Musk in April, accusing the billionaire of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk then asked for OpenAI's counterclaims to be dismissed or delayed until a later stage in the case. OpenAI argued in May its countersuit should not be put on hold, and the judge on Tuesday concluded that the company's allegations were legally sufficient to proceed. A jury trial has been scheduled for spring 2026. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

Judge rejects Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI harassment claims

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Elon Musk's request to dismiss claims brought by OpenAI accusing the tech billionaire of engaging in a "years-long harassment campaign" against the company. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that OpenAI's counterclaims are "sufficient" and can move forward as part of the lawsuit Musk brought against the ChatGPT maker last year. Musk, who helped found OpenAI in 2015, sued the artificial intelligence (AI) firm and its CEO Sam Altman last August. He accused Altman of manipulating him into supporting the non-profit by promising to focus on AI safety -- a commitment Musk alleges he betrayed with OpenAI's partnership with Microsoft and push to become a for-profit company. OpenAI, in turn, filed counterclaims against Musk in April, accusing the tech billionaire of engaging in a "relentless" campaign of attacks in the press and on his social platform X, as well as demands for corporate records and a "sham bid" for the company's assets. "Musk could not tolerate seeing such success for an enterprise he had abandoned and declared doomed," the April filing reads. "He made it his project to take down OpenAI, and to build a direct competitor that would seize the technological lead -- not for humanity but for Elon Musk." In March, the judge denied Musk's request to block OpenAI's for-profit conversion. However, Gonzalez Rogers said she was prepared to expedite the trial to the fall of 2025 "given the public interest at stake and potential for harm." Musk and Altman have long been engaged in a feud, which flared up once again Monday when the former threatened to sue Apple for not including X or his AI chatbot Grok on the App Store's list of recommended apps. He accused Apple of making it "impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store," which he claimed was an "unequivocal antitrust violation." Altman hit back at Musk, calling it a "remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like." "I hope someone will get counter-discovery on this, I and many others would love to know what's been happening," he added. "But OpenAI will just stay focused on making great products."

Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's harassment claims denied in court - The Economic Times

A federal judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's claims of a "years-long harassment campaign" by the Tesla CEO against the company he co-founded in 2015 and later abandoned before ChatGPT became a global phenomenon. In the latest turn in a court battle that kicked off last year, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk must face OpenAI's claims that the billionaire, through press statements, social media posts, legal claims and "a sham bid for OpenAI's assets" had attempted to harm the AI startup. Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman last year over the company's transition to a for-profit model, accusing the company of straying from its founding mission of developing AI for the good of humanity, not profit. OpenAI countersued Musk in April, accusing the billionaire of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk then asked for OpenAI's counterclaims to be dismissed or delayed until a later stage in the case. OpenAI argued in May its countersuit should not be put on hold, and the judge on Tuesday concluded that the company's allegations were legally sufficient to proceed. A jury trial has been scheduled for spring 2026.

Judge Lets OpenAI's Harassment Claims Against Musk Proceed | PYMNTS.com

OpenAI is suing Musk for allegedly harassing the company in public remarks, social media posts, legal actions and a "sham bid" to acquire its assets, the report said. Musk sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman last year, accusing them of abandoning the nonprofit mission to develop artificial intelligence for humanity's benefit and instead prioritizing profit. OpenAI is transitioning to a for-profit subsidiary under a nonprofit parent. OpenAI responded in April with a countersuit, alleging Musk engaged in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk had sought to have the countersuit dismissed or postponed, but in May, OpenAI argued the case should proceed without delay. The judge agreed, setting a jury trial for March 16, 2026. Earlier this year, Musk launched a $97.4 billion unsolicited bid to acquire OpenAI's nonprofit arm, which the board rejected.

Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's harassment claims denied in court

A federal judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's claims of a "years-long harassment campaign" by the Tesla CEO against the company he co-founded in 2015 and later abandoned before ChatGPT became a global phenomenon. In the latest turn in a court battle that kicked off last year, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk must face OpenAI's claims that the billionaire, through press statements, social media posts, legal claims and "a sham bid for OpenAI's assets" had attempted to harm the AI startup. Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman last year over the company's transition to a for-profit model, accusing the company of straying from its founding mission of developing AI for the good of humanity, not profit. OpenAI countersued Musk in April, accusing the billionaire of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk then asked for OpenAI's counterclaims to be dismissed or delayed until a later stage in the case. OpenAI argued in May its countersuit should not be put on hold, and the judge on Tuesday concluded that the company's allegations were legally sufficient to proceed. A jury trial has been scheduled for spring 2026.

Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's harassment claims denied in court

(Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's claims of a "years-long harassment campaign" by the Tesla CEO against the company he co-founded in 2015 and later abandoned before ChatGPT became a global phenomenon. In the latest turn in a court battle that kicked off last year, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk must face OpenAI's claims that the billionaire, through press statements, social media posts, legal claims and "a sham bid for OpenAI's assets" had attempted to harm the AI startup. Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman last year over the company's transition to a for-profit model, accusing the company of straying from its founding mission of developing AI for the good of humanity, not profit. OpenAI countersued Musk in April, accusing the billionaire of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk then asked for OpenAI's counterclaims to be dismissed or delayed until a later stage in the case. OpenAI argued in May its countersuit should not be put on hold, and the judge on Tuesday concluded that the company's allegations were legally sufficient to proceed. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)