OAKLAND, CA— A federal judge has turned down Elon Musk’s request to throw out OpenAI’s claims of a “years-long harassment campaign.” This means that the legal fight between the two tech companies will go on. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said that the claims against the CEO of Tesla are strong enough to move forward.
Musk, who was an early co-founder and board member of OpenAI, started the legal process last year by suing the business and its CEO, Sam Altman. Musk’s lawsuit said that OpenAI has changed its aim from building AI for the good of humanity to making money.
OpenAI’s Counterclaims to Move Forward
In April, OpenAI filed a countersuit against Musk, saying he was running a campaign to hurt the company and employing “fraudulent business practices.” The court papers say that this effort included news releases, social media posts, lawsuits, and a “sham bid for OpenAI’s assets.” Musk tried to get the counterclaims thrown out or put off, but the judge agreed with OpenAI that its arguments were strong enough to go on.
This decision is a big blow to Musk, who has been very critical of OpenAI since he left the business in 2018. The fight has been going on in public on his social media site, X, where he has often questioned Altman and the company’s direction.
Looking Ahead to the 2026 Trial by Jury
The judge’s judgment means that the matter will go to a jury trial in the spring of 2026. This indicates that the fight between Musk and OpenAI, which has gotten a lot of attention throughout the world, will go on for a long time. The trial will probably look at the company’s beginnings, Musk’s position, and the reasons for his actions after he left.
The judge has ruled on some of Musk’s arguments, throwing out some of them but letting the fraud claims go forward. The complicated legal case shows how competitive and philosophically divided the artificial intelligence sector is as it grows and changes quickly.