Closing arguments concluded May 14 in the federal trial pitting Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman over allegations that…
Closing arguments concluded May 14 in the federal trial pitting Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman over allegations that the defendants breached a charitable trust by converting OpenAI from a nonprofit into a for-profit entity now valued at more than $300 billion [1]. Musk is seeking Altman's removal from OpenAI, the unwinding of the company's 2025 recapitalization, and wrongful-gains damages that could reach $134 billion [1]. The nine-person jury will begin deliberations May 18, though their verdict is advisory, meaning Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California retains final authority over the liability determination [1].
The case was filed in federal court in Oakland, with Musk represented by lead counsel Steven Molo and OpenAI's defense led by William Savitt [1]. The trial produced several consequential days of testimony before closing arguments. Altman took the stand May 12 and denied that he or other founders ever made a binding promise to keep OpenAI structured as a nonprofit, characterizing the organization's early charitable mission as aspirational rather than contractual [2]. On cross-examination and in subsequent testimony, Altman described the nonprofit structure as having been effectively abandoned by internal consensus, telling the court the nonprofit had been "left for dead" before the conversion proceeded [3]. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spent approximately three hours on the stand addressing his company's multi-billion-dollar investment relationship with OpenAI, and Shivon Zilis provided testimony touching on early board deliberations surrounding the restructuring [1].
The substantive stakes are substantial. Musk's claims center on whether OpenAI's founding documents created enforceable charitable trust obligations that the conversion violated, a question with direct implications for how courts assess fiduciary duties in nonprofit-to-for-profit corporate transitions [1]. A plaintiff-favorable ruling could establish a precedent constraining the flexibility of mission-driven organizations, particularly in the artificial intelligence sector, to restructure around commercial capital [1]. The trial has also drawn scrutiny as a potential collision between competing AI ventures, given Musk's ownership of xAI, a direct OpenAI competitor [3].
Judge Gonzalez Rogers will receive the advisory jury's findings on liability and then issue her own ruling [1]. If she finds for Musk on any claims, damages proceedings and potential equitable relief, including the possibility of unwinding the recapitalization, would follow. An adverse outcome for OpenAI could complicate or delay the company's anticipated initial public offering [1].
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**Meta Description:** Closing arguments ended May 14 in Musk v. Altman, the federal nonprofit-conversion trial in Oakland. An advisory jury deliberates May 18; the judge has final say.
**Slug:** musk-altman-openai-trial-closing-arguments-jury
**Tags:** Legal News, Trial Watch, Musk v. Altman (OpenAI Trial), United States, California, Oakland, AI Governance, Nonprofit Law, Charitable Trust, OpenAI, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Microsoft
**Metadata:**
– subject: Musk v. Altman (OpenAI Trial)
– subject_type: Trial Watch
– date: 2026-05-14
– jurisdiction: federal
– country: USA
– region: California
– city: Oakland
– key_people: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Satya Nadella
– key_organizations: OpenAI, Microsoft, xAI, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
– themes: AI Governance, Nonprofit Law, Charitable Trust
– significance: The trial could set binding precedent on fiduciary duties in nonprofit-to-for-profit conversions and derail OpenAI's planned IPO if Musk prevails.
**References:**
[1] CNBC. (2026, May 14). Closing arguments conclude in Musk v. Altman, jury to deliberate next week. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/closing-arguments-jury-openai-musk-altman.html
[2] NPR. (2026, May 12). OpenAI's Sam Altman takes the stand to fend off Elon Musk's accusations. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/12/nx-s1-5811730/openai-sam-altman-testimony-elon-musk-trial
[3] CNBC. (2026, May 13). Altman details Musk's OpenAI fallout, says nonprofit was 'left for dead.' https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/13/altman-musk-trial-testimony-takeaways.html