OpenAI trial – Elon Musk flew to Beijing as his OpenAI lawsuit nears closing arguments, despite a judge warning he could be recalled to testify.
Elon Musk’s trip to Beijing is landing in the middle of his high-stakes courtroom fight with OpenAI, just as the trial is nearing its final stretch.
Musk arrived in China on Wednesday while his $150 billion civil lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman continued in a California courtroom.. The timing has raised an immediate practical question: whether Musk should have traveled abroad during testimony. especially after a federal judge told him he could be brought back into court if attorneys requested it.
At the close of Musk’s testimony in late April, U.S.. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers warned Musk he was subject to recall.. In a remark reported through his testimony transcript. the judge told Musk he could leave for the day. but made clear he was not “excused” from the possibility of returning to the stand.. The judge’s instruction did not amount to an explicit order that he remain near the courthouse or refrain from travel.
Because the dispute is being handled in civil court. Musk was not required to attend in person for every day of the trial.. He was. however. both a party to the case and a witness—an unusual posture that can sharpen scrutiny around whether his absence could affect the proceedings. particularly if recall becomes necessary.
Musk’s decision to travel appears to have been set in motion before the latest phase of the trial.. He boarded Air Force One on Tuesday and flew overnight to China.. Musk and several other business leaders were invited to travel to Beijing with President Trump. who is meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The last day of testimony was Wednesday, with closing arguments scheduled for Thursday. With that calendar in view, Musk is expected to be absent for both closing arguments and any last-minute courtroom activity tied to the evidence already presented.
The legal conflict at the heart of Musk’s trip centers on OpenAI’s direction since its founding.. Musk and Altman co-founded the company as a nonprofit in 2015, and Musk has since left.. In the lawsuit, Musk alleges Altman flouted the nonprofit’s original mission while prioritizing profits.. Musk is asking the court to remove Altman from the company’s board. require OpenAI to revert back to a nonprofit structure. and order millions of dollars to be transferred to OpenAI’s charity arm.
OpenAI, for its part, rejects Musk’s framing and argues the lawsuit is driven largely by Musk’s own interests, including the growth of his firm, xAI.
Whether Musk’s travel will become an issue in court could depend on how the recall warning is interpreted. and on whether any additional testimony is actually requested.. For now. the trial’s remaining milestones are scheduled while Musk is abroad. leaving the outcome of the recall question to the proceedings that follow.
Elon Musk OpenAI trial Sam Altman lawsuit recall warning judge Musk Beijing trip civil lawsuit closing arguments
so he just leaves the country mid trial lol ok
wait I thought he was banned from leaving the US?? my cousin said the judge literally ordered him to stay in California and now hes just flying to China like nothing happened. this whole thing is rigged I swear rich people just do whatever they want and nobody stops them
honestly I dont even understand what this lawsuit is about anymore. like at first I thought Musk was suing because OpenAI stole his code or something and now its about him going to China and Sam Altman and 150 billion dollars which seems way too much for whatever they even did. and wasnt Musk like the founder of OpenAI anyway so why is he suing his own company that doesnt make sense to me. either way China trip seems like bad timing but maybe thats just me
this is literally textbook what happens when billionaires get too comfortable. he flew on Air Force One which means taxpayers probably paid for that trip while hes in the middle of a civil lawsuit and nobody in the media is even talking about that angle. the judge already warned him and he still left. if that was any regular person they would have been held in contempt by now or something close to it. I remember when my brother missed a court date for something small and they came to his house. but Musk flies to Beijing with the president and everyone just acts like its totally normal. the whole system is just completely different depending on who you are and how much money you got and nobody wants to say it out loud