Musk Grilled as OpenAI Trial Pivots to Control, Cash, and xAI
Friday, May 1, 2026 · 9 min
Musk’s third day on the stand put his own AI business and control ambitions under scrutiny, while the judge kept the case focused on OpenAI’s nonprofit obligations, Microsoft ties, and alleged enrichment—not existential-risk speeches.
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Musk’s third day on the stand put his own AI business and control ambitions under scrutiny, while the judge kept the case focused on OpenAI’s nonprofit obligations, Microsoft ties, and alleged enrichment—not existential-risk speeches.
In this episode
- Elon Musk vs OpenAI in Court: Tech Billionaire Grilled Over AI Profits, Nonprofit Mission and Charity ‘Looting’ Claims — AFP
Elon Musk vs OpenAI in Court: Tech Billionaire Grilled Over AI Profits, Nonprofit Mission and Charity ‘Looting’ Claims # 'I am not a lawyer': Musk grilled over AI profits at OpenAI trial Judge presses Musk as he defends his own AI empire in nonprofit mission fight Last updated: May 01, 2026 | 02:59 2 MIN READ Add as a preferred source on Google Elon MuskAFP Elon Musk sparred with lawyers…
“It would be weird if Musk win this. They have proof that he tried to make OpenAI a part of his other companies.” — r/OpenAI (162 upvotes)
Our take: That’s the core tension for Musk: if the jury sees his own control efforts as evidence, his nonprofit-mission argument gets harder to sell. But proof that he wanted influence is not automatically proof against his charitable-trust claims, so the legal jump is bigger than Reddit makes it sound.
“Just make your models open source and his lawsuit loses all basis... hes right you are open ai you should have remained that way.” — r/OpenAI (28 upvotes)
Our take: We get the moral symmetry, but open-sourcing the models would not magically erase claims about governance, enrichment, or past restructuring. Also, “open AI” has always been doing a lot of rhetorical work here; the court is deciding legal duties, not brand vibes.
“Whoever loses will just appeal. Nothing will change for years.” — r/OpenAI (11 upvotes)
Our take: Probably right that appeals could drag this out, especially if the remedy is structural and not just money. But interim orders, injunctions, or even a narrow liability finding could still move markets and governance before the final appellate dust settles.
- Elon Musk says his xAI startup’s models were partially trained on OpenAI’s tech — San Francisco Chronicle
# Elon Musk says his xAI startup’s models were trained on OpenAI Published: 2026-04-30T17:32:06+00:00 Author: Roland Li ## Summary Elon Musk, the founder of xAI, has testified that his startup, now part of SpaceX, partially used OpenAI’s technology to train its artificial intelligence. This practice appears to violate the terms of service of OpenAI. Musk is seeking $134 billion in damages for…
“So the Chinese companies running "distillation attacks" were actually Musk?” — r/artificial (16 upvotes)
Our take: The joke lands because the admission turns a favorite OpenAI complaint back onto its loudest critic. The legal significance depends on the facts and the terms, but as courtroom optics go, “my rival trained on your product” is not exactly clean-hands poetry.
- All the evidence unveiled so far in Musk v. Altman - The Verge — The Verge
All the evidence unveiled so far in Musk v. Altman | The Verge The homepageThe Verge logo. The homepageThe Verge logo. AI Policy Report # All the evidence unveiled so far in Musk v. Altman Emails going as far back as 2015 give a glimpse into the foundations of OpenAI and the early tensions at the company. Emails going as far back as 2015 give a glimpse into the foundations of OpenAI and…
- OpenAI lawsuit: Elon Musk criticises Microsoft’s role and $10 billion backing — Moneycontrol
OpenAI lawsuit: Elon Musk criticises Microsoft’s role and $10 billion backing ``` Array ( [direction] => -1 [market_status] => red ) ``` Trending Topics # OpenAI lawsuit: Elon Musk criticises Microsoft’s role and $10 billion backing Elon Musk questioned Microsoft’s $10 billion OpenAI investment in court, saying such funding implies expected returns while raising concerns about…
- Musk vs. Altman: Elon’s apocalypse postponed — SF Standard
ADVERTISEMENT Skip to main content # Musk vs. Altman: Elon’s apocalypse postponed In his third and final day on the stand, plaintiff Elon Musk found himself on the defensive. Elon Musk arrives at federal court in Oakland on Thursday to testify in his lawsuit against OpenAI. | Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images By Caroline O'Donovan AI and Big Technology Senior Reporter Published Apr. 30,…