A counter-lawsuit filed by OpenAI against Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has proceeded to a full trial in a U.S. court. OpenAI claimed that Musk has been harassing the company in a malicious manner to hinder its growth. The trial is set to officially commence with a jury assembly in March next year.
According to court records from the U.S. Northern District Court of California on the 13th, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not accept Musk's request to dismiss the counter-lawsuit or postpone the hearing.
Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last year for converting from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity. In response, OpenAI filed a counter-lawsuit in April, alleging that Musk was employing "malicious tactics" to hinder its growth.
OpenAI alleged in its complaint that Musk has engaged in public criticism through the media, a malicious campaign on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and attempted fake acquisitions to harass OpenAI. In particular, it was stated that an investor consortium led by Musk proposed to acquire a controlling stake in OpenAI for $97.4 billion last February, but CEO Sam Altman rejected the offer.
Musk participated as an investor at the establishment of OpenAI in 2015 and resigned from the board in 2018, liquidating all of his equity. Since then, he has claimed that OpenAI violated the nonprofit principles initially set forth to pursue profit and has also breached contracts with investors.
The legal battle between the two sides is expected to move towards a conclusion at the full trial with the jury in March next year.