Elon Musk pressured leaders at OpenAI just before a significant legal clash, warning co-founder Greg Brockman that he and Sam Altman were close to becoming “the most hated men in America,” according to a recent court document.
OpenAI’s legal representatives stated that Musk, who contends that OpenAI has strayed from its nonprofit goals in a substantial lawsuit, sent a text to Brockman two days prior to the trial to “gauge interest in a settlement.”
When Brockman suggested that both parties drop their claims, Musk responded, “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, you will be.” The court submission highlights this exchange.
The filing argues that Musk’s messages to Brockman underscore OpenAI’s assertion that Musk, as the founder of xAI, aims to undermine a competitor rather than address genuine grievances.
OpenAI believes that these documents and Musk’s “similar threatening statements” in his lawsuit should be permitted in court. They also indicated that Brockman might be questioned about this during his testimony.
The filing states, “Motive and bias are likely to be proven, particularly that Mr. Musk’s intention in pursuing this lawsuit is to attack his competitors and their main companies.”
Neither Musk nor OpenAI representatives immediately replied to requests for comments.
Musk was the first witness called since the high-profile trial started last Tuesday and he testified for three days in California federal court. He advised jurors that trusting OpenAI’s future to Altman would be “foolish,” reiterating variations of that phrase. He insisted, “You can’t steal from a charity.”
By last Thursday, Musk’s persistent use of certain terms led to a stern reprimand from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who struck it from the record and reminded him that he was “not a lawyer,” urging him to “answer specific questions.”
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Brockman and Altman in 2015, left the board in 2018 due to disagreements over the organization’s direction. He claims that the $38 million he contributed during his tenure was misallocated.
OpenAI has dismissed Musk’s allegations as “baseless.”
