04 May 2026 , 21:22
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Elon Musk threatened to make OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman "the most hated men in America," just before his lawsuit against the company went to trial.
In a message to Brockman, Musk asked if the fellow OpenAI co-founder was interested in a settlement, according to a court filing.
When Brockman suggested that the two sides should drop their claims against each other, Musk responded, "By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so be it," according to the filing.
Attorneys for Brockman, Altman, and OpenAI claim that Musk’s message "tends to prove motive and bias, and, in particular, that Mr. Musk’s motivation in pursuing this lawsuit is to attack a competitor and its principals."
This is the second week of proceedings in Musk’s lawsuit, which began with jury selection last Monday.
Musk, one of OpenAI’s co-founders, claims that he donated roughly $45 million to help get the company off the ground with the understanding that it would remain a nonprofit dedicated to developing AI for the benefit of humanity.
But Musk claims he was duped when Altman and Brockman moved to transition OpenAI into a for-profit.
OpenAI, however, has argued that Musk wanted to merge OpenAI with Tesla and become the CEO of the company. When OpenAI balked at the idea, Musk distanced himself from the company.
He then went on to found xAI in 2023 as a competitor to OpenAI. Musk’s other company, SpaceX (SPAX.PVT), later acquired xAI in a deal ahead of its IPO.
Musk took the stand in the trial last week, frequently clashing with OpenAI’s attorney.
OpenAI transitioned to a public benefit corporation (PBC) in October 2025. Microsoft, which Musk also names in his suit, received a 27% stake in the PBC, while OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, the OpenAI Foundation, received a stake valued at $130 billion. OpenAI’s most recent fundraising round valued the company at $852 billion.
OpenAI claims that Musk’s suit is an effort to derail the company as a competitor.
The trial is expected to run through mid-May.
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