California jurors returned a unanimous verdict finding Elon Musk's claims against Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, OpenAI and Microsoft time-barred under the statute of limitations, with deadlines set at August 5, 2021 for the first count, August 5, 2022 for the second and November 14, 2021 for the third (TechCrunch, May 18 2026). Testimony from Silicon Valley figures covered OpenAI's 2015 founding commitments to non-profit status and its later creation of a for-profit affiliate, yet the case resolved on narrow timing issues rather than substantive breach allegations. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers noted substantial evidence supporting the defense position during post-verdict remarks.

OpenAI's lead counsel Bill Savitt described the suit as an after-the-fact contrivance to sabotage a competitor, while a Microsoft spokesperson reaffirmed ongoing collaboration to scale AI technologies. Musk's expert estimate of $78.8-135 billion in alleged wrongful gains was rejected by the court as lacking factual connection, and the verdict removes one restructuring risk ahead of OpenAI's reported IPO plans.

Musk stated via social media that Altman and Brockman enriched themselves by taking a charity and announced an appeal to the Ninth Circuit to establish precedent protecting charitable giving. Musk's counsel Marc Toberoff responded with a single word: Appeal. Primary records confirm the jury deliberated briefly after focusing exclusively on filing deadlines.