The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, declared that any legal victory in his ongoing case against OpenAI will be donated to charity, emphasizing his non-profit intentions.

Musk took to X, late Monday, to post about his ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, co-founded by Sam Altman.

“Btw, the proceeds of any legal victory in the OpenAI case will be donated to charity. I will in no way enrich myself,” wrote Musk.

In a podcast with Nikhil Kamath in December, Elon Musk said the real challenge in philanthropy is ensuring donations create genuine impact rather than just good publicity. He noted it's easy to appear generous but harder to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Notably, in January 2025, Musk disclosed donating 268,000 Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares to unnamed charities as part of year-end tax planning.

Musk Alleges Breach In OpenAI Deal

The lawsuit, set to begin on April 28 in Oakland, accuses Altman of defrauding Musk by steering OpenAI away from its original non-profit mission, after Musk had donated approximately $38-45 million to it in the mid-2010s.

Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, is seeking damages of up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), alleging wrongful gains from his early financial and strategic support.

The lawsuit alleges the changes breached the original terms under which Musk agreed to fund and co-found the organization. Microsoft, a major investor since 2019, has invested billions and become the largest stakeholder after a recent restructuring, and is also named as a defendant.

OpenAI IPO Under Threat?

Musk won a pretrial ruling on Friday that bars OpenAI from questioning him about his alleged ketamine use during the upcoming trial. The judge, however, did allow limited questioning about Musk’s attendance at Burning Man, where OpenAI’s attorneys claim significant communications between the two sides took place.

The high-stakes trial has been described as a “real deal” by CNBC commentator Jim Cramer, who noted that OpenAI may need to complete a large private fundraising round before trial, given Musk’s “unlimited firepower.” Cramer warned that Musk's lawsuit is a serious threat to OpenAI’s valuation, especially as the company plans to go public.

OpenAI is reportedly in discussions to secure a $100 billion funding round, potentially boosting its valuation to around $830 billion.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by a Benzinga editor.

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