A federal jury in California has rejected Elon Musk’s $150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI, ruling that the billionaire’s claims against the artificial intelligence company and its executives were filed too late.

The nine-member jury in federal district court in Oakland unanimously found that Musk’s allegation accusing OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman of breaching the organisation’s charitable mission was barred by the statute of limitations.

Musk had sued OpenAI in 2024, claiming the company abandoned its original nonprofit purpose of benefiting humanity in favour of generating profits for Microsoft, one of its biggest investors. He also accused Microsoft of “aiding and abetting” the alleged breach of charitable trust, but the jury ruled that claim was also time-barred.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who helped fund OpenAI in its early years, sought $150 billion in damages. He also wanted Altman removed from OpenAI’s board and requested that the company be restored to nonprofit status.

During the trial, OpenAI’s lead counsel, William Savitt, argued that Musk’s case stemmed from personal dissatisfaction after leaving the company.

“We are here because Musk didn’t get his way at OpenAI. My clients had the nerve to go on and succeed without him,” Savitt told the court.

After a three-week trial, jurors concluded that Musk was aware of OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure as early as 2021. Since the lawsuit was filed in 2024, the claims exceeded the three-year legal deadline for such complaints.