Elon Musk Pushes to Remove OpenAI Leaders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman Ahead of Trial
Elon Musk is pursuing legal action aimed at removing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman from their positions as officers, as part of an ongoing case expected to head to trial later this month.
Elon Musk asks court to remove OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, alleging fraud and seeking nonprofit restoration before trial later this month.
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In a filing submitted Tuesday, Musk’s legal team detailed the remedies he intends to seek if a court finds that OpenAI and its leadership defrauded him. The filing outlines a request to strip Altman of his role on the nonprofit board and remove both executives from their positions within the organization’s for-profit arm.
According to the document, such removals are standard when individuals in leadership fail to uphold or safeguard a charity’s mission. Musk’s lawyers argue that this step is necessary if wrongdoing is proven.
The dispute traces back to a lawsuit filed by Musk in 2024, where he accused OpenAI and Altman of misleading him into contributing $38 million. Musk claimed he was persuaded to donate based on assurances that OpenAI would continue operating as a nonprofit entity.
Since then, tensions between Musk and OpenAI have escalated publicly, with both sides exchanging criticisms alongside their legal confrontation and growing business rivalry.
Musk is also asking the court to require OpenAI to fully revert to its nonprofit roots. Although the company restructured in October, it now operates with a nonprofit controlling a 26% stake in a for-profit division that includes ChatGPT.
The case is scheduled to begin jury selection on April 27 in federal court in Oakland, California. OpenAI has not yet issued a response regarding the latest filing.
Musk, Altman, and other collaborators originally founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit AI research lab. Musk departed the organization in 2018 after attempting to merge it with Tesla, a proposal that did not materialize.
In the years since, Musk has launched a competing venture, xAI, which created the chatbot Grok. Earlier this year, SpaceX acquired xAI in a deal valuing the combined business at $1.25 trillion.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has taken its own legal stance. On Monday, the company sent a letter to state officials in California and Delaware, urging an investigation into what it described as anti-competitive actions by Musk and his associates. OpenAI’s strategy chief, Jason Kwon, alleged that Musk has been attempting to undermine the company, including coordinating efforts with Mark Zuckerberg.
Earlier filings from Musk’s legal team also indicated he could seek damages of up to $134 billion from OpenAI and its lead investor, Microsoft, describing the amount as gains derived from his early contributions.
In the latest submission, Musk’s lawyers emphasized that he wants any improperly obtained profits, including those linked to Microsoft, returned to OpenAI’s charitable foundation.