Microsoft CEO Nadella to testify in Elon Musk–OpenAI trial
Microsoft CEO Nadella to testify in Elon Musk–OpenAI trial
Satya Nadella takes the stand in Oakland as Musk argues OpenAI betrayed its nonprofit roots while Microsoft-backed OpenAI expands toward profits.
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is slated to take the stand Monday in the high-stakes Elon Musk vs. OpenAI lawsuit in a federal courtroom in Oakland. His testimony is expected to precede that of OpenAI chief Sam Altman, who is likely to be questioned on Tuesday or Wednesday as the trial enters its final stages. The proceedings center on emails that purportedly show Microsoft funded what Musk calls OpenAI's shift from a nonprofit mission to a for-profit AI powerhouse.
Musk alleges that OpenAI betrayed its original nonprofit purpose and misused his founding donations totaling $38 million to help build a company valued at more than $850 billion. He asks the court to force OpenAI back to nonprofit status, a move that could reshape OpenAI's standing in a crowded AI race that includes Anthropic, Google and China's Deepseek. OpenAI counters that Musk departed voluntarily after failing to seize majority control and is now a direct competitor via his own AI venture, xAI. An advisory jury is expected to reach a verdict on any actual wrongdoing by the week of May 18. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will then make the final ruling on both liability and remedies after hearing the jury's opinion. She has indicated she will likely follow their advice. If Gonzalez Rogers ultimately sides with Musk, OpenAI's initial public offering could be jeopardized.
On Monday, Musk's lawyers are expected to try to convince the jury that Microsoft, by investing in OpenAI in 2019, knew it was helping divert a nonprofit foundation from its original purpose. He will rely on recently disclosed Microsoft emails from January 2018 to demonstrate that
