Elon Musk’s legal battle against his OpenAI co-founders has ended in defeat as nine jurors found that his claims were filed too late. Despite the trial delving into the tumultuous history of the tech giants' relationship, it ultimately focused on narrow questions of law, with the jury agreeing that any harms occurred before the statute of limitations.

The verdict means one major threat to OpenAI is now off the table as they prepare for an IPO, but Musk has vowed to appeal. His lead counsel Marc Toberoff tweeted: 'One word: Appeal.'

Musk accused Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of creating a for-profit affiliate from their charitable lab, but the jury found that any benefits he sought to claim had occurred before the relevant dates set by law.

The case revolved around whether promises made to Musk were broken and when. OpenAI’s lead attorney Bill Savitt commented: 'They kicked it exactly where it belongs — just to the side.'

Musk now faces a tougher challenge in his appeal, as he found the judge unconvinced by his expert witness's analysis of potential financial damages.