A U.S. federal jury dismissed Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on Monday, ruling the claim was filed too late [1].

The decision ends a high-profile legal battle over the governance and mission of the artificial intelligence firm, though Musk's legal team intends to continue the fight.

The verdict was delivered in a California federal court on May 18, 2026 [2]. The jury reached the decision after deliberating for under two hours [3]. This brief deliberation followed three weeks of testimony [4].

Musk had sought $134 billion in damages in the lawsuit [5]. The court found that the filing occurred after the statutory deadline, making the claim untimely [1].

Musk's lawyer said the firm will appeal the verdict. The legal representative said the war is not over [1].

The dispute centered on the transition of OpenAI from a non-profit organization to a commercial entity. Musk, a co-founder of the company, argued that the shift violated the original agreement to develop AI for the benefit of humanity.

“A U.S. federal jury dismissed Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on Monday”

This ruling emphasizes the importance of statutory deadlines in complex corporate litigation. While the jury's quick dismissal suggests the timing of the filing was a clear-cut legal failure, the planned appeal indicates that Musk intends to challenge the procedural grounds to bring the broader dispute over AI ethics and corporate governance back to the court.