Sam Altman extends invitation to Elon Musk amid ongoing OpenAI court battle

Sam Altman has extended an unexpected invitation to Elon Musk amid an escalating legal battle between the two tech leaders over the future and structure of OpenAI.

In a social media post on Saturday, Altman said Musk “can come if he wants” to a limited OpenAI gathering linked to the upcoming May 5 rollout of GPT-5.5. 

The gesture came during an ongoing federal court dispute in which Musk is challenging OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit model and seeking sweeping changes to its leadership and governance.

The invitation was reportedly tied to a small GPT-5.5 release celebration, with OpenAI using an online RSVP system to select attendees.

According to reports, Codex, OpenAI’s coding system, will help filter responses for the event.

The courtroom clash has grown increasingly sharp in recent days. On Thursday, Musk testified that he invested millions into OpenAI with the expectation that it would remain a nonprofit focused on benefiting humanity.

He argued that the organisation’s most significant value now lies within its for-profit arm, which he claims deviates from its original mission.

Musk is seeking up to $150 billion in damages, along with structural changes that could return OpenAI to nonprofit control and remove key executives, including CEO Sam Altman.

Altman, in his post, added a conciliatory note saying, “The world needs more love,” even as the presiding judge urged both parties to avoid inflammatory public commentary during the trial.

Musk, who left OpenAI in 2018 following internal disagreements, has since launched his own AI company, xAI, further intensifying competition in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector. 

OpenAI and its backers, including Microsoft, have denied wrongdoing, arguing the for-profit structure is necessary to fund advanced AI development.