Elon Musk vs Sam Altman: Tesla chief to face OpenAI's harassment and ‘Sham Bid' allegations in spring 2026 trial
On Tuesday, District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that OpenAI's claims, which include accusations of a 'years-long harassment campaign' through public statements, social media posts, legal filings, and an alleged 'sham bid' for the company's assets, were strong enough to proceed to trial.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but parted ways before the launch of its widely used chatbot, ChatGPT. The relationship soured further when Musk sued OpenAI and chief executive Sam Altman last year, arguing that the company had abandoned its founding non-profit mission in favour of profit-making.
In response, OpenAI filed a countersuit in April, accusing the Tesla CEO of fraudulent business practices under California law, claiming his actions were designed to damage the firm's reputation and operations.
Musk had sought to have these counterclaims dismissed or delayed, but the court sided with OpenAI, clearing the way for the case to proceed. A jury trial has been scheduled for spring 2026, setting the stage for a high-profile legal battle over the future of one of the world's most influential AI companies.
In separate news, Sam Altman has pushed back against Elon Musk's accusation that Apple is giving preferential treatment to ChatGPT on its App Store, preventing rival applications from reaching the top of the rankings.
In a post on X, Altman criticised Musk, suggesting the Tesla boss has manipulated his own social media platform to serve his business interests while undermining competitors.
'This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like,' Altman wrote.
He added that he would welcome further investigation into the matter: 'I hope there's an opportunity for counter-discovery, many of us would be interested to know what's really been going on. As for OpenAI, we'll stay focused on building great products.'
(With inputs from Reuters)
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