Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to Testify in Elon Musk vs OpenAI Lawsuit

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to testify on Monday in the lawsuit between Elon Musk and OpenAI, a federal jury trial being held in Oakland, California. Nadella's testimony will precede that of OpenAI boss Sam Altman, whose questioning is likely to take place on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The trial has centered on Musk's accusations that OpenAI betrayed its original nonprofit mission and misappropriated his founding donations totaling $38 million to build an empire valued at over $850 billion.

Musk's lawyers are expected to try to convince the jury that Microsoft, by investing in OpenAI in 2019, knew it was helping divert a nonprofit foundation from its original purpose, relying on recently disclosed Microsoft emails from January 2018.

The trial is expected to conclude with an advisory jury reaching a verdict on any actual wrongdoing by the week of May 18, after which Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will make the final ruling on both liability and remedies. The outcome of the trial could impact OpenAI's position in the global artificial intelligence race and potentially jeopardize its initial public offering if the judge sides with Musk.