Just days before the courtroom battle began, Elon Musk appears to have made a last-minute move behind the scenes. According to a CNBC report, the Tesla chief reached out to OpenAI president Greg Brockman to explore the possibility of a settlement, only for the exchange to quickly turn tense. The message, now part of a legal filing, has added a dramatic twist to an already high-stakes case involving the San Francisco-based AI giant.
What The Text Exchange Reveals
As per CNBC, the tech mogul texted Brockman two days before the trial was set to begin. Brockman reportedly suggested a simple resolution, both sides could drop their claims and move on. That’s when things escalated. Musk responded sharply: “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be,” the filing states.
OpenAI’s legal team has since pushed to include this message as evidence, arguing it reflects Musk’s intent and possible bias. According to their filing, it “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.”
The Ongoing Legal Battle
The lawsuit itself dates back to 2024, when the SpaceX founder accused OpenAI and its leadership, including CEO Sam Altman, of drifting away from their original nonprofit mission.
Elon Musk vs OpenAI: Everything That Happened In The First Week Of High-Stakes Trial
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, claims his roughly $38 million contribution was meant to support a public, good initiative, not a profit-driven enterprise. During his testimony last week, he didn’t hold back, accusing Altman and Brockman of trying to “steal a charity.”
He also took aim at the company’s current structure, arguing that its for-profit arm had become “the tail wagging the dog.”
OpenAI’s Response And What’s Next
The US-based AI giant has firmly rejected Musk’s claims, calling them “baseless.” From its perspective, the lawsuit is less about principle and more about competition, especially given Musk’s involvement with his own AI venture, xAI.
Amid OpenAI Lawsuit, Sam Altman Says Elon Musk Can Attend GPT-5.5 Party
Meanwhile, the trial continues to unfold in a federal court in Oakland, California, under Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Proceedings are set to resume at 11:30 a.m. ET (10:00 PM IST), with Brockman expected to take the stand soon.
previous post
