By Kieran Burke
Publication Date: 2026-01-17 12:43:00
Tech billionaire Elon Musk is seeking upwards of $134 billion (€115.4 billion) from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing that he is owed “wrongful gains.”
Court papers were filed at a California court on Friday and cited an expert valuation of what Musk was entitled to.
In his lawsuit, Musk makes the allegation that OpenAI — which he co-founded in 2015 — has abandoned its original purpose as a non-profit organization committed to ensuring that artificial intelligence research benefited humanity.
Musk argues that the company now mainly serves the interests of Microsoft.
What Musks legal team argues
Financial economist C. Paul Wazzan was the expert consulted by the South African billionaire’s legal team. He said Musk fronted up $38 million in early financing for OpenAI and also provided key industry contacts and expertise.
Based on those contributions, Wazzan says Musk is entitled to a share of OpenAI’s current value, estimated at between $65.5 billion and $109.43…
