Musk v. Altman trial closes with bombshells: Musk used OpenAI for xAI, Murati played both sides

The Musk v. Altman trial concluded with explosive revelations beyond the legal claims. During closing arguments, Musk’s lawyer Steven Molo stumbled, calling Greg Brockman 'Greg Altman' and misstating Musk's financial demands. OpenAI’s lawyer Sarah Eddy delivered the day’s zinger: 'Even the mother of his children can’t back his story.' The real payoff was the gossip: Musk admitted xAI distilled OpenAI’s models to accelerate Grok’s development, contradicting his earlier claims of independence. Musk also failed to achieve AGI at Tesla, first by trying to acquire OpenAI, then by poaching its talent. Mira Murati was exposed as a double agent during the Altman ouster, privately feeding the board incriminating chats while tipping off Altman and publicly feigning ignorance. Altman’s own pettiness shone through under oath, calling Musk a 'front-runner' and implying he’s no longer respected.

Other notable tidbits: Musk wanted his children to inherit OpenAI (per Altman), and Shivon Zillis hid her children’s father (Musk) from her fellow board members until leaked court documents revealed it. The trial underscored deep personal animosities and strategic maneuvers, from Tesla engineers moonlighting on OpenAI projects to Musk’s obsession with Demis Hassabis. The judge seemed unimpressed by Musk’s case, which leaned heavily on gossip rather than solid legal grounds. The real winner? Public entertainment at the expense of transparency.