Sam Altman sat in the front row through days of testimony in his legal battle with Elon Musk, a decision that highlighted the stakes in a case that could clear OpenAI’s way to a $1tn IPO or see its chief executive thrown out in disgrace.
Nine jurors could issue a verdict as soon as Monday, leaving Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to decide whether to reverse OpenAI’s for-profit restructuring, award $134bn in damages or unseat Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman.
Having navigated rounds of tortuous restructuring negotiations with its largest shareholder Microsoft and the abortive removal of Altman as CEO, victory over Musk would remove a final hurdle to OpenAI’s plans to go public in the next year at a valuation of $1tn or more.