Elon Musk texted OpenAI president Greg Brockman two days before the scheduled trial start and asked about settling his lawsuit, according to a filing in federal court in Oakland, California, where Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is hearing the case. [1]
OpenAI’s lawyers asked to enter the message into evidence and said they may use it while Brockman testifies. They argued the text could help show motive and bias in Musk’s case against OpenAI, Brockman and CEO Sam Altman, which he filed in 2024. [1]
Musk testified for 3 days during the trial’s first week. He accused Altman and Brockman of trying to “steal a charity,” and the filing also quoted Musk as writing, “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be,” and “the tail wagging the dog.” [1]
The dispute sits at the center of a wider fight over OpenAI’s direction and value. Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018, later founded xAI and in February merged it with SpaceX in a deal valuing xAI at $250 billion. OpenAI’s private valuation is more than $850 billion, while Musk says he donated about $38 million to the company in its early years. [1]
The trial was set to resume Monday at 11:30 a.m. ET, with Brockman potentially taking the stand. [1]
