SouthernWorldwide.com – Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on Wednesday as his $150 billion civil lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman proceeded in a California courtroom.
The timing of Musk’s international travel during the trial has raised questions about whether it could become a point of contention in court.
At the close of Musk’s testimony in late April, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of San Francisco informed the tech mogul that he could be recalled to the stand if requested by OpenAI’s attorneys.
“Mr. Musk, you are not excused, but you can leave for the day. Okay?” Judge Rogers stated to the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who also owns X, according to a transcript of the proceedings.
Given that the case is a civil trial, Musk, despite being a party and a witness, was not mandated to be present in person for the entire duration of the trial. The judge did not issue explicit instructions for Musk to remain in the vicinity of the courthouse or to refrain from traveling.
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Musk departed on Air Force One on Tuesday, traveling overnight to China. He was part of a delegation of business leaders invited to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, reportedly at the invitation of President Trump.
With the final day of testimony in the OpenAI trial falling on Wednesday and closing arguments scheduled for Thursday, it is highly probable that Musk will be absent for both significant court dates.
Musk and Sam Altman were co-founders of OpenAI, initially established as a nonprofit organization in 2015. Musk has since departed from OpenAI and is now engaged in legal action against Altman, asserting that the latter has deviated from the company’s original mission and is prioritizing profit.
Musk’s lawsuit seeks the removal of Altman from OpenAI’s board, the reversion of the company to its nonprofit status, and the transfer of millions of dollars to OpenAI’s charitable division.
OpenAI, in its defense, contends that Musk’s actions are aimed at bolstering his own artificial intelligence company, xAI.
