OpenAI says Musk sent ominous texts after settlement request
▼ Summary
– Two days before the trial, Elon Musk texted OpenAI president Greg Brockman suggesting a settlement.
– After Brockman proposed both sides drop their suits, Musk replied that Brockman and Sam Altman would become “the most hated men in America.”
– OpenAI’s lawyers filed the text exchange as evidence, but the judge ruled it inadmissible.
– Musk’s lawsuit seeks to unwind OpenAI’s for-profit structure and demands damages, leading observers to see the case as targeting a rival for money.
– OpenAI’s countersuit alleges Musk’s motives are about demanding money from its success rather than AI safety.
Two days before the Elon Musk versus OpenAI trial kicked off last week, the billionaire sent a threatening text to OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman. According to a new legal filing from OpenAI’s attorneys, Musk pushed for a settlement, but the conversation quickly turned hostile.
When Brockman proposed that both sides drop their respective lawsuits, Musk fired back with an ominous warning: “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 exchange, detailed in a Sunday court filing, was not accompanied by actual screenshots of the texts. OpenAI’s lawyers spent much of the filing arguing that the judge should allow this settlement discussion as evidence. The judge, however, rejected that request, ruling the exchange inadmissible according to TechCrunch reporter Tim Fernholz, who is covering the trial live from the courtroom.
The implications are stark. Musk’s original lawsuit seeks to dismantle OpenAI’s for-profit structure, force its technology to be made publicly available, terminate Microsoft’s licensing agreement, and extract general, compensatory, and punitive damages plus attorney’s fees. After OpenAI’s legal team made the “settle-or-else” text public, observers quickly concluded that this case may have less to do with Musk’s stated concerns about AI safety and more with extracting financial compensation from a successful rival while hobbling its growth. That is essentially the argument OpenAI makes in its countersuit.
The trial is still underway.
(Source: TechCrunch)
