Court reviews Elon Musk expert in OpenAI case ahead of April hearing

In short: A California judge is taking a close look at an expert hired by Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, while the case moves toward an April court date.

What happened

Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and Microsoft in California federal court. He is seeking up to $134 billion in damages, which is money he says he is owed.

A key part of Musk’s case relies on an expert witness, financial economist C. Paul Wazzan. An expert witness is a specialist brought in to explain complex topics to a judge, like a referee asking a rules expert to clarify a tricky play.

OpenAI and Microsoft asked the court to limit or exclude Wazzan’s analysis. They argued that his numbers are not reliable and cannot be properly checked. They also said his approach would lead to an unrealistic outcome, including a large transfer of value from a nonprofit organization to Musk, who is now a competitor.

The judge questioned parts of the expert’s work but did not remove him from the case at this stage, according to the Financial Times. The lawsuit is still ongoing, and the court can still set limits on what the expert is allowed to say later.

Why it matters

Big AI disputes often come down to money, control, and who benefits from research. Expert witnesses can shape how a court understands those stakes, especially when the amounts are huge. For regular people, the outcome can influence how AI companies are funded, who gets access to AI products, and how much oversight courts apply when AI labs shift from nonprofit roots to major business deals.

Source: Financial Times