AI and cryptocurrency seem like two parallel lines, but in fact, they have been deeply intertwined. Recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI's "century lawsuit" has been brewing, with the struggle over OpenAI's control, original intentions, and business interests being playfully dubbed as the "most expensive custody battle in the tech world." Whether you are a tech enthusiast, a cryptocurrency investor, or simply a bystander, understanding this dispute will help you grasp the future landscape of the AI industry and better seize the potential trends in the cryptocurrency market.

1. Event Timeline: From "Chasing Dreams Together" to "Courtroom Confrontation"

2015: The original intention sets sail, Musk "invests to pave the way."

In 2015, Musk, along with Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and others, hit it off at a dinner in San Francisco and jointly founded OpenAI. At that time, the core goal was clear: to combat Google's AI monopoly, create a non-profit, open-source, and universal artificial intelligence (AGI) that benefits all of humanity.

As the largest early investor, Musk contributed $38 million, accounting for 60% of the early funding, and even personally recruited top scientists, making him a "godfather" figure for OpenAI. No one could have expected that this "charitable alliance" would end up in court years later.

2017-2018: Early signs of rifts appear, power struggle erupts.

AI training is a "money-gobbling beast," with costs for computing power, data, and graphics cards soaring, making the pure non-profit model difficult to sustain. In 2017, internal divisions arose within OpenAI: Altman advocated for introducing external capital and following a "limited profit" route, while Musk insisted on maintaining its non-profit essence and even demanded that OpenAI merge with Tesla, for him to have unified control.

At an internal meeting in 2018, the conflict intensified. Musk insisted that the OpenAI development team share technologies with Tesla's AI department, which Altman's team rejected. Following this "face-off," Musk angrily resigned from the OpenAI board, withdrew subsequent investments, and both parties formally went their separate ways. Netizens joked: "This isn't just a clash of ideas; it's clearly a case of a 'child' misbehaving, leading the 'parent' to cut off support!"

2019-2023: Complete "betrayal," commercialization skyrockets.

After Musk's departure, Altman quickly led OpenAI's transformation: establishing a profit-making subsidiary in 2019 and accepting a $1 billion investment from Microsoft, launching a "non-profit parent + profit-making subsidiary" model. Subsequently, Microsoft continued to double down, investing a total of over $13 billion, acquiring 49% of OpenAI's shares, and becoming one of the actual controllers.

OpenAI completely abandoned its "open-source original intention": the GPT series models were closed source, and core technologies became exclusive weapons for Microsoft's cloud services; in 2022, ChatGPT emerged, igniting a global AI boom, with the company's valuation skyrocketing to $850 billion, with IPO preparations regularly making headlines.

Musk watched with anger, publicly criticizing multiple times: "I founded an open-source non-profit foundation, and now it has turned into a closed-source profit-making machine controlled by Microsoft, completely contrary to initial promises!" In 2023, he started a new venture called xAI, launching the Grok large model, claiming a "return to OpenAI's original intention" to compete directly with OpenAI.

2024-2026: Courtroom battles, billion-dollar lawsuit ignites globally.

In March 2024, Musk formally sued OpenAI, Altman, Brockman, and Microsoft, accusing them of breaching charitable trust obligations, fraud, and unjust enrichment, seeking damages of $134 to $150 billion. The core demands targeted the heart of the issue: to revoke OpenAI's commercialization transformation, restore its pure non-profit nature, dismiss Altman and Brockman from their positions, and terminate the exclusive binding with Microsoft. Musk emphasized: All compensation will go to OpenAI's charity department if successful, and he will take nothing, solely to "prevent charitable organizations from being plundered by private capital."

The lawsuit process faced many twists: Musk briefly withdrew the lawsuit, then refiled and added Microsoft as a defendant; OpenAI counter-sued Musk, claiming he harbored resentment for failing in the power struggle and that the lawsuit was harassment from a competitor.

On April 27, 2026, the case reached a climax: the federal court in Oakland, California, completed jury selection, officially starting on April 28, expected to last for four weeks, with Musk, Altman, and Microsoft CEO Nadella among those expected to testify. This "century trial" is seen as the ultimate showdown of "charity vs. commercial interests, openness vs. monopoly" in the AI industry.

2. Why is the cryptocurrency circle paying such close attention?

Many people are puzzled: What does the AI lawsuit of tech giants have to do with trading coins and doing DeFi? In fact, this lawsuit directly affects AI sector valuations, the related ecosystems of cryptocurrency projects, and the flow of market funds, making it a "hidden barometer" of the cryptocurrency market, with three core reasons:

1. AI is the core engine of the cryptocurrency narrative, and the lawsuit influences market fluctuations.

From 2024 to 2026, AI + cryptocurrency is the strongest main theme in the market, with AI tokens (like WLD, FET, AGIX, etc.) skyrocketing in market value, becoming hotspots for fund concentration. As the absolute leader of AI globally, OpenAI's fate directly determines the valuation logic of the AI sector:

 

• If Musk wins: OpenAI is forced to return to non-profit status, the commercialization process is hindered, the bubble of AI concept stocks is likely to burst, and related cryptocurrency tokens may plummet collectively; at the same time, xAI (under Musk) stands to benefit, and its related cryptocurrency projects may see favorable developments.
• If Altman wins: OpenAI's path to commercialization is smooth, the certainty of the AI sector is strengthened, and funds will continue to flow into the AI cryptocurrency sector, driving related tokens up.

2. Altman's deep ties to cryptocurrency projects affect token stability.

OpenAI CEO Altman is a "deep player" in the cryptocurrency circle, and the Worldcoin (WLD) he leads is a top AI cryptocurrency project focused on "distinguishing AI from human identities," which once had a market value exceeding $10 billion. Musk's lawsuit directly points to Altman for "betraying original intentions and forgetting ethics," significantly impacting the trust foundation of WLD:

 

• During the lawsuit, WLD's price has experienced severe fluctuations, reflecting market concerns about the trustworthiness of Altman's team;
• If Altman loses, his reputation collapses, Worldcoin may face risks of collapse, impacting the entire AI cryptocurrency ecosystem.

3. Musk is a "thought leader" in the cryptocurrency circle, and his actions affect the flow of funds.

As the top supporter of Dogecoin (DOGE) and a major Bitcoin (BTC) holder, Musk's statements and actions directly influence market sentiment and the flow of funds. In this lawsuit, Musk has clearly stated that he "opposes AI monopoly and supports open-source inclusivity," aligning with the core spirit of the cryptocurrency industry, which emphasizes "decentralization and open transparency.":

 

• If Musk wins, it will strengthen his influence in the cryptocurrency circle, funds may tilt towards Musk-affiliated cryptocurrency projects (such as DOGE, tokens related to xAI);
• At the same time, the narrative of "anti-monopoly and promoting openness" will become a new hotspot in the cryptocurrency market, benefiting decentralized AI cryptocurrency projects.

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In the end, let’s step out of the hot search gossip and peel back the surface noise.

We ordinary people don't need to worry about taking sides or arguing about who is right or wrong, nor blindly follow hot gossip and debate. We only need to remember one thing: when the judgment of this lawsuit is issued, it will not only determine the future direction of a top AI company but will also synchronously impact the warmth or coldness of the entire year’s market for the AI sector and cryptocurrency.
The grand drama continues to unfold, and the market reacts in real time, so just relax and enjoy the gossip; there's no need for you to keep your eyes glued to it, as professional tools are there to guarantee your returns, safely maintaining your profits while observing the overall situation and waiting for the outcome.

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