Elon Musk vs OpenAI trial set for April 27 in California

The legal showdown between Elon Musk and OpenAI is officially heading to trial, scheduled to begin on April 27 in California.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Oakland federal court confirmed the new timeline, a week after ruling that Musk had presented enough evidence for the case to be heard by a jury.

The trial itself is expected to start on April 28 and could run for nearly four weeks, potentially concluding by May 22. It should be noted that the case had previously been set for a March 30 start.

For the unversed, the dispute stems from a lawsuit Musk filed last year against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI along with Altman in 2015, has argued that the organisation abandoned its original nonprofit mission by shifting toward a for-profit structure and deepening its partnership with Microsoft.

He also claimed that he contributed around $38 million under the belief that OpenAI would remain focused on its altruistic goals.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has pushed back strongly, saying Musk was aware of the company’s structural changes as early as 2018.

The company noted that its nonprofit arm continues to play a key role in governance and has described the lawsuit as unfounded.

Earlier this month, Judge Gonzalez Rogers rejected efforts by Altman’s legal team to block the case, stating that while the evidence may be circumstantial, it was sufficient for a jury to decide.