Elon Musk files $134 billion "unjust enrichment" claim against OpenAI and Microsoft

2026-01-18 07:17:15

Abstract generation in progress

BlockBeats News, January 18th, according to US News reports, a US federal judge in California has dismissed OpenAI and Microsoft’s request to dismiss Musk’s lawsuit. The Musk vs. OpenAI case will go to a jury trial in April. Recently, Musk’s side officially filed a claim for $134 billion in “unjust enrichment,” with OpenAI’s unjust enrichment estimated between $65.5 billion and $109.4 billion, and Microsoft’s between $13.3 billion and $25.1 billion, totaling approximately $79 billion to $134 billion. Musk’s legal team hired financial economist C. Paul Wazzan as an expert witness, who ultimately calculated this astonishing figure.

When Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, he provided approximately $38 million in seed funding, accounting for 60% of the early seed round at that time. He also believes that, beyond funding, he contributed personal reputation, key connections, and experience in scaling enterprises. “Without Musk, there would be no OpenAI.” Currently, OpenAI has transformed into a for-profit entity with a valuation of about $500 billion. Musk believes he should receive a corresponding proportion of the “unjust enrichment” compensation.

Musk has long accused OpenAI of deviating from its original non-profit mission to benefit all humanity, instead deepening cooperation with Microsoft and becoming a profit-driven company controlled by Microsoft.

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