The world's richest person and the CEO of OpenAI face off in federal court today April 28, as opening arguments begin in what's being called the "AI trial of the century." Elon Musk is accusing Sam Altman of transforming a charity he funded into an $852 billion for-profit empire. He wants billions returned to OpenAI's nonprofit arm, Altman removed from leadership, and the entire company restructured. 

Nine jurors were seated Monday, April 27, after five hours of questioning in Oakland's federal courthouse, where some prospective jurors called Musk a "greedy, racist, homophobic piece of garbage" and a "world-class jerk." Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers pushed back, saying "the reality is that people don't like him" but was confident the selected jury would respect the judicial process. Both Musk and Altman are expected to testify over the next four weeks, along with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI's top executives. 

Here's everything you need to know about the ongoing Elon Musk vs Sam Altman trial

Musk originally filed 26 claims when he sued OpenAI, Altman, and president Greg Brockman on August 5, 2024. After a series of pre-trial rulings that went against Musk, only two survive: breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment. Musk's lawyers dropped fraud and constructive fraud claims ahead of the trial to "streamline the case." Microsoft is also being sued for allegedly aiding and abetting the breach of charitable trust.

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