{"id":93435,"date":"2026-05-08T19:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/everything-you-missed-during-week-2-of-the-elon-musk-vs-openai-trial\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T19:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:09:49","slug":"everything-you-missed-during-week-2-of-the-elon-musk-vs-openai-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/everything-you-missed-during-week-2-of-the-elon-musk-vs-openai-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Missed During Week 2 of the Elon Musk vs OpenAI Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"


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We\u2019re officially two weeks deep in the trial pitting Elon Musk against Sam Altman and OpenAI over the latter\u2019s allegedly illegal decision to convert their organization into a for-profit business. After last week\u2019s Musk-dominated time in front of the judge, the past few days have been primarily dominated by OpenAI\u2019s time in the barrel. While it\u2019s tough to get into a disreputable figure contest with Elon Musk, the fine folks at the world\u2019s biggest AI company certainly came out looking worse than when they started.<\/p>\n

In case you opted to just take the \u201ca pox on both their houses\u201d approach and tune out of the trial, here\u2019s a quick catch-up of the biggest moments you might have missed.<\/p>\n

Greg Brockman\u2019s Secret Public Diary<\/h3>\n

OpenAI President Greg Brockman had to live every middle schooler\u2019s worst nightmare: reading his own diary in public. He admitted it was a nightmare on the stand, telling OpenAI\u2019s counsel that it was \u201cvery painful\u201d and called the entries \u201cvery deeply personal writings that weren\u2019t meant for the world to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

But see it they did. And Brockman\u2019s private thoughts, cherrypicked though they may be, did not reflect particularly well on his intentions. In one entry, Brockman asked himself, \u201cFinancially, what will take me to $1B?\u201d and later wrote, \u201cIt would be nice to be making the billions,\u201d according to The Guardian. Hard to argue with him there; it would be nice to be making the billions. Starting a nonprofit probably isn\u2019t the best path to achieve it, though.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s something that Brockman also seemed to recognize. In another entry, he mused about the possibility of cutting Musk out of OpenAI and converting the company into a for-profit enterprise. \u201cIt\u2019d be wrong to steal the non-profit from him. to convert to a b-corp without him. that\u2019d be pretty morally bankrupt,\u201d he wrote, referencing Musk\u2019s role at the firm. He also acknowledged that he \u201cCan\u2019t see us turning this into a for-profit without a very nasty fight,\u201d which was a pretty solid prediction, as it turns out.<\/p>\n

Sam Altman Is a Serial Double Texter<\/h3>\n

Sam Altman secured the dubious honor of having his text messages committed to the public ledger and immediately getting turned into a meme. OpenAI\u2019s past and present CEO came off as less than composed in a series of texts sent to then-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati while the company\u2019s board was in the process of removing him back in 2023.<\/p>\n

The exchange, documented by Business Insider, took place while Murati was on the phone with the board, which was getting ready to oust Altman. Clearly a bit concerned, Altman asked, \u201cCan you indicate directionally good or bad?\u201d saying that \u201cothers\u201d are anxious. Murati responded, \u201cdirectionally very bad,\u201d which is just an all-timer of a way to tell someone they are about to get fired.<\/p>\n

Despite that, Altman didn\u2019t seem totally convinced that was happening. When Murati said the board was \u201cconvinced about their decision,\u201d Altman asked, \u201cfor me to be fired? or some new thing?\u201d seemingly hoping that actually all of this was about something else entirely and not his future. Turns out it was not. \u201cYes for you to be gone,\u201d Murati replied.<\/p>\n

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Sam Altman texts Mira Murati<\/p>\n

November 19, 2023 pic.twitter.com\/Yr4WPwMWny<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Internal Tech Emails (@TechEmails) May 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Things didn\u2019t get better for Altman when Murati spoke about him directly rather than just in text. While on the stand, Murati admitted that she believed Altman had at times lied to her about AI safety protocols and said that she felt like he undermined her in her role as CTO, per Futurism.<\/p>\n

Musk Tried to Strong-Arm a Settlement at the Last Minute<\/h3>\n

While lots of the juiciest tidbits of the trial come from the past being dredged up, one bit of drama occurred very recently: Just days before the trial was set to begin, Musk texted Brockman and tried to secure a settlement. When Brockman responded to suggest that both sides drop their claims and move on, Musk offered up what seems to be a pretty thinly veiled threat. \u201cBy the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

It does seem like both Altman and Brockman have taken a bit of a reputational hit as a result of what has been revealed during the trial. But there is one really big obstacle in the way of them becoming the most hated men in America: Elon Musk still exists.<\/p>\n

More Details of Musk\u2019s Messy Baby Momma Menagerie Emerge<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s strange to think Elon Musk\u2019s penchant for producing offspring matters as it relates to this case, but the fact is that his biggest ally happened to work with him at OpenAI and is also the mother of four of his children. Last week, we learned that Shivon Zilis lives with Musk and the relationship is\u2026 complicated. Musk called her his \u201cchief of staff\u201d and \u201cclose advisor,\u201d but never girlfriend or romantic partner.<\/p>\n

We got additional details this week, though how clarifying they are is questionable. According to The Verge, Zilis denied ever being Musk\u2019s chief of staff. She described their relationship as being \u201cfriends and colleagues\u201d who also happened to have a \u201cone-off\u201d that was \u201cromantic in nature.\u201d That was around 2017.<\/p>\n

Then in 2021, she had two kids with Musk\u2014twins who were conceived via IVF. She described their relationship at that time as \u201cplatonic.\u201d She didn\u2019t tell anyone, including her own father, that she was pregnant until after the kids were born. She admitted that Musk\u2019s war with OpenAI \u201cpruned my friend network.\u201d And then she apparently had two more kids with him.<\/p>\n

Whatever lifestyle works for you.<\/p>\n

It Sure Seems Like Musk First Suggested Switching to a For-Profit<\/h3>\n

Perhaps the most interesting bit of drama to come out of this week is the revelation that Musk\u2019s major protestation that turning OpenAI into a for-profit amounts to a dereliction of duty and an affront to everything they stood for might not be as genuine as he\u2019s presented it. The biggest bit of evidence: Musk himself seemingly floated the idea of going the for-profit route.<\/p>\n

According to The Verge, Zilis\u2019 testimony included emails from 2017 and 2018. At one point, she mentioned that it was discussed that OpenAI \u201cswitch to for profit in next couple of weeks (woah fast!).\u201d That is apparently an idea that Musk was involved with batting around. In another email, Zilis apparently offered Musk some ideas to kickstart Tesla\u2019s AI efforts. \u201cOne was making OpenAI a public benefit corporation subsidiary of Tesla. One was getting Altman as an \u2018anchor\u2019 for TeslaAI,\u201d she wrote, which doesn\u2019t seem like the kind of thing someone who is insistent on a company remaining a non-profit would consider.<\/p>\n

Zilis wasn\u2019t the only one who was seemingly under the impression that a for-profit shift wasn\u2019t completely off the table. Brockman testified that, after the company achieved a milestone in 2017, Musk said it was \u201ctime to make the next step for OpenAI.\u201d Brockman interpreted that as meaning it was time to start a for-profit, per The Guardian. In fact, he claims they discussed that very thing with Musk at a party.<\/p>\n

According to Brockman\u2019s telling, Musk ultimately issued an ultimatum: he would have full control over a for-profit arm of OpenAI, or the organization would stay a non-profit. So, seemingly, the issue wasn\u2019t so much about maintaining OpenAI\u2019s mission as it was about Musk maintaining control.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n