The Musk v. Altman trial in Oakland continues to deliver material for the history books. On Sunday, a text message was revealed that Elon Musk sent to Greg Brockman two days before the trial began.
The text
On April 25 — two days before jury selection — Musk texted OpenAI President Greg Brockman to gauge interest in a settlement. Brockman’s response: both sides should drop their respective claims.
Musk’s reply: ‘By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be.‘
Brockman takes the stand
On Monday (May 5), Brockman took the witness stand. Among the revelations: his stake in OpenAI is now worth $30 billion. OpenAI’s lawyers wanted to enter the settlement text as evidence — Judge Gonzalez Rogers declined for now, but allowed the topic to be raised during Brockman’s testimony.
Trial timeline
The judge expects the liability phase to conclude by May 21. The nine-person jury’s verdict will be advisory only — the final decision rests with the judge herself.
My take
This text is pure Musk: the open hand first, then the threat when the other side doesn’t immediately comply. Legally, it probably changes little — but it shows the power dynamics behind the scenes. And Brockman’s $30 billion stake makes clear why nobody here is giving in voluntarily.
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