Elon Musk demands up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft as lawsuit heads to trial
18 Sources
[1]
Musk wants up to $134B in OpenAI lawsuit, despite $700B fortune | TechCrunch
Elon Musk wants a jaw-dropping $79 billion to $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the AI company defrauded him by jettisoning its nonprofit mission, Bloomberg first reported. The figure comes from expert witness C. Paul Wazzan, a financial economist who has been deposed
[2]
Silicon Valley's messiest breakup is definitely headed to court | TechCrunch
OpenAI and Microsoft tried to dodge a courtroom showdown with Elon Musk, but a federal judge wasn't having it - on Thursday she rejected their dismissal requests and set the case for a jury trial in late April, meaning they'll officially duke it out in an Oakland courtroom, with Microsoft also
[3]
Elon Musk: OpenAI and Microsoft Owe Me $134 Billion
Following years of legal disputes between Elon Musk and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, the Tesla CEO is now seeking up to $134 billion from OpenAI and its largest investor, Microsoft. In the newest court filing, Musk's lawyers allege that OpenAI gained between $65.5 billion and $109.4 billion as a result
[4]
Elon Musk is looking for a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and Microsoft
We now have some idea of what's at stake in the longstanding feud between Elon Musk and OpenAI. As first reported by Bloomberg, the latest filing, as part of a lawsuit that accuses the AI giant of abandoning its non-profit status, claims that Musk is owed anywhere between $79 billion and $134
[5]
OpenAI tells investors to brace for 'deliberately outlandish' claims from Musk ahead of trial
The trial will mark a public escalation of Musk's years-long feud with OpenAI, and the company's letter serves as an attempt to preempt and alleviate investors' concerns. OpenAI has raised billions of dollars from venture capitalists, and its valuation has swelled to $500 billion. Musk co-founded
[6]
Elon Musk says OpenAI and Microsoft owe him $134 billion in "wrongful gains"
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. What just happened? Elon Musk has a net worth of $681 billion, but he wants OpenAI and Microsoft to add another $134 billion to that figure. It's the amount Musk says they owe him as a result of his
[7]
The Microsoft-OpenAI Files: Internal documents reveal the realities of AI's defining alliance
The launch of the AI lab that would redefine Microsoft caught the tech giant by surprise. "Did we get called to participate?" Satya Nadella wrote to his team on Dec. 12, 2015, hours after OpenAI announced its founding. "AWS seems to have sneaked in there." Nadella had been Microsoft CEO for less
[8]
Document Disclosures Reveal Microsoft’s Influence as OpenAI Became a Revenue-Crazed Behemoth
Way back in March of 2019, this weird thing happened where a relatively insignificant tech nonprofit called OpenAI became a “capped†for-profit companyâ€"whatever that is. The month earlier, OpenAI had announced the creation of an uncanny, über-powerful language model called GPT-2 that was
[9]
Elon Musk Says OpenAI and Microsoft Owe Him Up to $134 Billion
OpenAI and Microsoft deny any obligation to Musk, saying he has no contractual right to the damages. Elon Musk is seeking an enormous $79 billion to $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft. He claims that the two companies reaped "wrongful gains" from his early role in founding and
[10]
'Can't wait to start trial': Elon Musk slams OpenAI ahead of court case; Sam Altman responds - The Economic Times
Ahead of a jury trial that is set to begin in May, both sides are releasing certain documents and call notes, accusing each other of bad faith over OpenAI's shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit model.The gloves are off. Even before their legal battle, Elon Musk and Sam Altman took their fight to
[11]
Elon Musk vs OpenAI : April 2026 Trial & Lawsuit over Control, Microsoft Deal and the Nonprofit Shift
What happens when a shared vision for the future of artificial intelligence turns into a bitter legal showdown? Wes Roth explains how the once-united forces of Elon Musk and OpenAI have spiraled into a high-stakes conflict that could redefine the AI landscape. Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, now
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Musk vs Altman: OpenAI Trial Testimony 'Will Blow Your Mind,' Says Musk - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
As the legal battle between Elon Musk, OpenAI, and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) heats up, Musk has expressed his eagerness for the upcoming trial, promising explosive revelations. Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, has sued the artificial intelligence firm and its CEO, Sam Altman. He alleges
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OpenAI and Microsoft lose last chance to avoid trial with Elon Musk
OpenAI and Microsoft failed to escape a trial over Elon Musk's claims that Sam Altman's startup betrayed its founding mission as a public charity when it took billions in funding from the software giant and made plans to operate as a for-profit business. A federal judge in Oakland, California, on
[14]
Elon Musk Seeks $134Bn in Damages from OpenAI and Microsoft
Surprisingly, the claims appear to be just the way OpenAI expected and warned their own investors in a recent note Elon Musk is sitting on a fortune of $700 billion but that doesn't stop him from seeking a massive $134 billion as damages from OpenAI and Microsoft. All because one tech giant sought
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Elon Musk Seeks Up To $134 Billion From OpenAI, Microsoft Damages Over Fraud Claims
OpenAI And Microsoft Call The Elon Musk Lawsuit Baseless Ahead Of Jury Trial OpenAI and Microsoft rejected the damages in a response filed early Saturday. They argued Musk is seeking as much as 2,900 times what he put into the startup. The companies attacked Wazzan's methodology and asked the
[16]
Musk seeks up to $134 billion from OpenAI, Microsoft in 'wrongful gains'
Jan 17 (Reuters) - Elon Musk is seeking up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing he deserves the "wrongful gains" that they received from his early support of the artificial-intelligence startup, according to a court filing on Friday. OpenAI gained between $65.5 billion and $109.4
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Elon Musk and OpenAI: How a partnership became a $134 billion legal war
How OpenAI's Microsoft deal triggered Silicon Valley's biggest legal war It began with a dinner in Silicon Valley and a shared fear of Google. It has ended in a federal court filing in Oakland, demanding a sum of money so large it rivals the GDP of entire nations. On January 16, 2026, lawyers
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Elon Musk seeks up to $134 bn from OpenAI and Microsoft: Here's what he claims
Musk's lawyer argues that his client deserves a portion of OpenAI's current $500 billion valuation. Elon Musk is seeking damages ranging from $79 billion to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the AI company defrauded him by abandoning its original nonprofit mission and collaborating
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Elon Musk is seeking between $79 billion and $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the AI company abandoned its nonprofit mission. A federal judge rejected dismissal requests, setting a jury trial for late April in Oakland. OpenAI calls the lawsuit baseless harassment aimed at slowing its progress while benefiting Musk's competing AI venture, xAI.
Elon Musk Lawsuit Demands Staggering Financial Damages from OpenAI
The legal dispute between Elon Musk and OpenAI has escalated to unprecedented levels, with Musk now seeking financial damages ranging from $79 billion to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft
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. The figure comes from expert witness C. Paul Wazzan, a financial economist who calculated that Musk deserves a substantial portion of OpenAI's current $500 billion valuation based on his early contributions to OpenAI when he co-founded the startup in 20154
. Wazzan's analysis determined wrongful gains of $65.5 billion to $109.4 billion for OpenAI and $13.3 billion to $25.1 billion for Microsoft1
.Early Contributions to OpenAI Drive Damages Calculation
Musk's legal team argues the damages reflect more than just his $38 million in seed funding, which represented roughly 60% of the nonprofit's initial capital
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. The calculation includes his nonmonetary contributions such as recruiting early employees, providing business contacts, and lending his prestige and reputation to the venture4
. His lawyers contend he should be compensated as an early startup investor who typically sees returns many orders of magnitude greater than initial investments1
. The lawsuit centers on allegations that OpenAI committed a breach of non-profit mission by abandoning its charitable goals and restructuring as a for-profit entity2
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Source: PC Magazine
Partnership with Microsoft Becomes Central to Legal Battle
The partnership with Microsoft has become a focal point of the lawsuit, with Musk claiming his former partners betrayed their mission by taking billions from the tech giant
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. A federal judge rejected dismissal requests from both OpenAI and Microsoft, setting a jury trial for late April in Oakland, California2
. The judge found sufficient evidence for a jury to decide whether OpenAI broke its nonprofit commitments and whether Microsoft knowingly helped OpenAI break its promises, though claims that Microsoft unjustly enriched itself at Musk's expense were dismissed2
.
Source: Digit
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OpenAI Dismisses Claims as Harassment Tactics
OpenAI has characterized the lawsuit as part of an ongoing pattern of harassment rather than a legitimate financial grievance
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. In a letter to investors, OpenAI warned to expect deliberately outlandish harassment claims from Musk ahead of the trial, stating the case is worth no more than the $38 million he donated5
. The company accused Musk of grossly misrepresenting the written record, publishing private journal entries from co-founder Greg Brockman that allegedly show Musk wanted $80 billion for a Mars city, demanded majority equity, and discussed his children controlling Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)3
.Competing AI Ambitions Fuel Ongoing Feud
Musk departed OpenAI's board in 2018 and launched his own AI company, xAI, in 2023
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. OpenAI claims the lawsuit represents Musk's fourth attempt at these particular claims and is part of a broader strategy aimed at slowing them down while advantaging xAI3
. The relationships have deteriorated across the board, with Musk and Sam Altman transforming from collaborators into arch enemies2
. Musk has argued he is owed the value of all intellectual property developed from his contributions5
. Despite his personal fortune hovering around $700 billion, making him the world's richest person by a margin of $500 billion over the second-richest, the lawsuit suggests motivations beyond pure financial gain1
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Source: ET
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