Elon Musk and Sam Altman speak onstage during "What Will They Think of Next? Talking About Innovation" at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 6, 2015 in San Francisco. Getty Images for Vanity Fair It’s official: Elon Musk will not take a dime if he is successful in his upcoming court case against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman.
Musk previously suggested he would forego taking any money in the trial, but his pledge became binding in a document filed with the court on Monday. The world’s richest man said “he will not seek an award to himself, xAI, or any fund that he controls as to his claims set for trial” and instead would donate any award to an “OpenAI charity directly.”
Elon Musk attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026. AP In January, a judge ruled that Musk’s lawsuit can proceed to trial. In the suit, he alleged that Altman and his OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman violated OpenAI’s original mission by shifting the company to a for-profit model to enrich themselves. Musk is seeking unspecified monetary damages. He reportedly invested tens of millions of dollars in early funding for OpenAI. Jury selection for the trial starts on Monday with opening statements shortly thereafter.
OpenAI calls Musk’s lawsuit part of a “broader strategy of harassment aimed at slowing us down and advantaging his own AI company, xAI.” In recent months, Altman has increased his profile in the entertainment industry and media space.
Earlier this month OpenAI bought streaming business show TBPN and as Page Six Hollywood reported was spotted at the Tower Bar in West Hollywood during Oscar weekend.
