A nine-person jury will deliberate on whether OpenAI and Sam Altman are liable in Elon Musk's case alleging the firm bilked him and unjustly enriched itself.
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Closing arguments concluded Thursday in Elon Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, moving the weeks-long trial toward a jury verdict.
A nine-person jury is set to deliberate on whether the AI firm and Altman are liable in the case. The trial, which began last month, has drawn significant attention in Silicon Valley and featured testimony from major figures in the tech industry.
During closing arguments, attorneys for both sides presented their final positions to the jury. Musk's legal team and OpenAI's representatives made what court observers described as "testy parting shots" as they wound down their presentations.
Altman addressed comments Musk had made during his testimony, including what Musk characterized as "steal a charity" language. Altman responded to the framing, saying Tuesday, "It feels difficult to even wrap my head around that framing."
Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, faced significant scrutiny during the trial. Musk's attorney Evan Molo criticized Brockman in closing arguments, describing the computer scientist's "arrogance" and "lack of decency" as "appalling."
Entries from Brockman's diary were displayed during the trial, revealing personal notes about his financial ambitions and OpenAI's corporate structure. In 2017, Brockman wrote, "Financially what will take me to $1B?" The diary also contained an entry in which Brockman wrote of Musk, "He's really not an idiot," and noted, "His story will correctly be that we weren't honest with him in the end about still wanting to do the for-profit just without him."
An attorney with experience representing large technology companies, who is not involved in the OpenAI case, assessed Musk's position following the trial proceedings. The attorney stated, "Musk has more of a case here than previously thought," suggesting the plaintiff may have strengthened his legal standing over the course of the trial.
The jury will now begin deliberations to determine the outcome of the dispute between Musk and the AI firm.
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