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Elon Musk has escalated his legal fight against OpenAI and Microsoft. The Elon Musk OpenAI lawsuit now seeks damages of between $79 billion and $134 billion. According to court filings, Musk claims OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission. Additionally, he argues the shift defrauded him as a co-founder. Bloomberg first reported the valuation figures tied to the case.
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A financial economist, C. Paul Wazzan, produced the damages estimate. Wazzan has extensive experience in commercial litigation. He premised his analysis on OpenAI’s current $500 billion valuation. In the same vein, the Elon against OpenAI lawsuit hinges on Musk’s early role in founding the company. Musk contributed $38 million in seed funding in 2015. Wazzan calculated that investment would now imply a massive return.
OpenAI Lawsuit Connects Valuation to Early Contributions
Forging ahead, Wazzan’s analysis goes beyond cash alone. He factored in Musk’s technical input and business guidance. These contributions, he argued, helped shape OpenAI’s early direction. Based on that, he estimated that OpenAI had wrongfully gained between $65.5 billion and $109.4 billion. He also assigned Microsoft gains between $13.3 billion and $25.1 billion. Microsoft currently owns about 27 per cent of OpenAI. The Elon Musk OpenAI lawsuit uses these figures to support the damages claim.
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Furthermore, Musk’s legal team frames the issue as investor fairness, arguing that early backers deserve returns proportional to the risk they take. According to their filings, Musk qualifies for returns far exceeding his initial investment. However, the scale of the claim raises broader questions. The Elon Musk against OpenAI lawsuit appears to reach beyond simple compensation. It challenges OpenAI’s shift from nonprofit roots to commercial structure.
Elon Musk OpenAI Lawsuit Unfolds Amid Extreme Wealth
Musk’s personal wealth adds context to the dispute, as estimates place his fortune at $700 billion. Contextually, that makes him the world’s richest individual by a wide margin. Interestingly, recent reports show his wealth exceeds that of the second-richest person by hundreds of billions of dollars. Against that backdrop, even a $134 billion payout seems marginal. Therefore, the Elon Musk against OpenAI lawsuit appears driven by principle as much as money.
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On the contrary, OpenAI has pushed back strongly. According to reports, the company warned investors about Musk’s claims. Furthermore, it described the lawsuit as part of a pattern of harassment. OpenAI expects Musk to make attention-grabbing statements ahead of the trial. The case will proceed in Oakland, California, in April. The Elon Musk against OpenAI lawsuit is now moving toward a courtroom showdown.
The outcome could reshape OpenAI’s future, influence how founders structure nonprofit-backed startups. Regardless, the legal battle now carries symbolic weight, as this lawsuit tests the boundaries between mission, money, and control.
