Elon Musk took too long to sue OpenAI, jury unanimously agrees
Elon Musk took too long to sue OpenAI, jury unanimously agrees
埃隆·马斯克起诉 OpenAI 为时已晚，陪审团一致裁定
Elon Musk took too long to file his lawsuit that accused OpenAI of stealing a charity, a nine-person jury unanimously decided Monday. Musk sued OpenAI in 2024 for making a “fool” out of him after Musk donated $38 million to kick-start OpenAI as a nonprofit, only to later be blindsided when OpenAI created a for-profit arm that he felt gutted funding for the charity while enriching executives like Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.
周一，一个九人陪审团一致裁定，埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）在指控 OpenAI 窃取慈善机构的诉讼中起诉过晚。马斯克于 2024 年起诉 OpenAI，称其将他当成“傻瓜”耍弄。此前，马斯克曾捐赠 3800 万美元启动 OpenAI 的非营利项目，但后来却被 OpenAI 成立营利性部门的行为打了个措手不及。他认为此举掏空了慈善机构的资金，同时让萨姆·奥特曼（Sam Altman）和格雷格·布罗克曼（Greg Brockman）等高管中饱私囊。
But the jury found that Musk was aware of OpenAI’s restructuring plans as early as 2021 and therefore missed the statute of limitations requiring him to bring the lawsuit within three years, The New York Times reported. Because Musk took too long to file the litigation, the jury deemed Altman and Brockman not liable for any of the claims that Musk brought against OpenAI, the NYT reported. The jury also let Microsoft off the hook, finding no liability for the OpenAI investor after Musk alleged they aided OpenAI’s get-rich scheme.
据《纽约时报》报道，陪审团认定马斯克早在 2021 年就已知晓 OpenAI 的重组计划，因此错过了法律规定的三年诉讼时效。据《纽约时报》报道，由于马斯克提起诉讼的时间过晚，陪审团裁定奥特曼和布罗克曼对马斯克针对 OpenAI 提出的任何指控均不承担责任。陪审团还免除了微软的责任，在马斯克指控微软协助 OpenAI 的“致富计划”后，陪审团认定该 OpenAI 投资者无需承担责任。
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers almost instantly agreed with the jury’s decision, the NYT reported. She thanked the jury and reminded them that they can talk to “anyone about anything” once they feel comfortable discussing the case, the NYT reported. Musk’s legal team looked “sunken in their chairs” after the jury’s decision was announced, the NYT reported. One of the billionaire’s lawyers, Marc Toberoff, who hosted daily calls with press during the trial, quickly confirmed that Musk will appeal.
据《纽约时报》报道，法官伊冯·冈萨雷斯·罗杰斯（Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers）几乎立即同意了陪审团的决定。据报道，她感谢了陪审团，并提醒他们，一旦他们觉得可以讨论此案，就可以与“任何人谈论任何事情”。据《纽约时报》报道，陪审团的决定宣布后，马斯克的法律团队看起来“瘫坐在椅子上”。这位亿万富翁的律师之一马克·托贝罗夫（Marc Toberoff）在庭审期间每天都会与媒体通话，他迅速证实马斯克将提起上诉。
Altman and Brockman were not present when the verdict came in, the NYT reported. However, there were “a few smiles from the OpenAI side of the room,” with OpenAI attorney William Savitt wearing “a wide grin,” the NYT reported. Savitt spent days grilling Musk on the stand, seemingly taking advantage of his prior experience as Musk’s lawyer to get under Musk’s skin.
据《纽约时报》报道，裁决下达时，奥特曼和布罗克曼并未在场。然而，据报道，OpenAI 一方的人员中出现了“几丝微笑”，OpenAI 的律师威廉·萨维特（William Savitt）更是“咧嘴大笑”。萨维特曾花数天时间在证人席上盘问马斯克，似乎利用了他曾担任马斯克律师的经验来激怒对方。
In a statement, Microsoft celebrated the win, writing, “The facts and the timeline in this case have long been clear, and we welcome the jury’s decision to dismiss these claims as untimely. We remain committed to our work with OpenAI to advance and scale AI for people and organizations around the world.”
微软在一份声明中庆祝了这一胜利，写道：“此案的事实和时间线早已明确，我们欢迎陪审团驳回这些诉讼请求的决定，因为它们已超过诉讼时效。我们将继续致力于与 OpenAI 的合作，为世界各地的人们和组织推进并扩展人工智能。”
Musk did not return to the courtroom after delivering his testimony and was also not there when the verdict was read. Before the verdict arrived, Musk’s lawyer apologized after Musk shirked a court order requiring him to be available in case any further testimony was needed in the case. In an apparent sign that he was losing interest in the trial, Musk prioritized attending a summit between Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping.
马斯克在作证后没有回到法庭，宣读裁决时他也不在场。在裁决下达前，马斯克的律师曾因马斯克无视法院要求其随时待命以备进一步作证的命令而道歉。马斯克优先参加唐纳德·特朗普与中国国家主席习近平之间的峰会，这显然表明他已对庭审失去兴趣。
Late Monday, Musk issued a statement on X, writing, “Regarding the OpenAI case, the judge & jury never actually ruled on the merits of the case, just on a calendar technicality. There is no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity. The only question is WHEN they did it!” Musk reiterated his lawyer’s statement confirming he plans to appeal, writing, “I will be filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit, because creating a precedent to loot charities is incredibly destructive to charitable giving in America.”
周一晚些时候，马斯克在 X 上发表声明称：“关于 OpenAI 一案，法官和陪审团实际上从未对案件的是非曲直做出裁决，仅仅是基于时间上的技术性问题。对于任何详细关注此案的人来说，毫无疑问，奥特曼和布罗克曼确实通过窃取慈善机构中饱私囊。唯一的问题是他们是什么时候做的！”马斯克重申了他律师的声明，确认他计划上诉，并写道：“我将向第九巡回法院提起上诉，因为开创掠夺慈善机构的先例对美国的慈善捐赠具有极大的破坏性。”