Elon Musk returns to Silicon Valley after skipping OpenAI trial for Beijing trip

Elon Musk flew from Point Mugu Naval Air Station to Moffett Federal Airfield on Friday, May 15, a brief 41-minute hop that brought him back to the Bay Area after several days abroad. The Gulfstream G550, tail number N272BG, touched down at the NASA-run airfield in Mountain View just before 4 p.m.

The same week, Musk was in Beijing accompanying President Donald Trump on a state visit, a trip that forced him to miss the closing arguments of his own lawsuit against OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. His lead counsel apologized to the jury for the absence, per a CNBC report, and the trial — which accuses Altman and Brockman of violating a charitable trust by converting OpenAI to a for-profit structure — now heads to jury deliberations on Monday [thenextweb.com](https://thenextweb.com/news/musk-openai-closing-arguments-jury-deliberations).

The flight signals Musk's return to the legal fray after a controversial absence. He had been placed on recall status by the judge, meaning he was supposed to be available to testify on short notice, but still departed for China, as NBC News reported. With the trial's liability phase pending, his presence in the Bay Area ensures he is on hand for the proceedings that could cost the defendants up to $134 billion in disgorgement.