Musk v Altman: Tech bros battle
episodePreviously titled “Musk vs Altman: Tech Bros Battle” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
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What led to the courtroom battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman?
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So two of the most powerful men in the tech world walk into a courtroom in California. One of them wins. But which one?
I can't believe you're starting this show with a dad joke.
Well, listen, it's better than most of my other jokes. We are, of course, talking about, on the one side, Elon Musk, one of the most powerful tech figures in the world. On the other, Michelle?
Sam Altman from OpenAI.
What were the main arguments presented in the lawsuit?
I mean, this is like a divorce playing out and it's kind of parents fighting over who gets the good silver. Although in this case, of course, we're talking about AI.
Yeah, well, if you keep criticising my jokes, we could have some sort of divorce later on in this programme. I think what we're going to look at on this edition of Business Daily is the reputational damage to both men. I'm Rahul Tandon in the BBC studios here in the UK.
And I'm Michelle Fleury in New York.
And I have an empty chair next to me, Michelle, where Will Bain would normally be. He's gone off to watch some football in Istanbul, wasted his money there. So who have we got instead this week then, Michelle?
We have Lily Jamali, our very own North America technology correspondent, joining us with all of the kind of detail and gossip from the proceedings.
How did the jury reach their decision in the Musk vs. Altman case?
Yes.
I'm the one who's been cackling in the background to your dad jokes this whole time. I thought they were funny.
Yeah. Do you know what, Lily? You can come back on any time. We don't need to have Michelle on every week if you ask me. For those who don't know, Lily, give us the background to this case. Why were these two powerful individuals who shape our life in court?
Well, it was Elon Musk who brought all of us together as part of this lawsuit that he filed in 2024 against OpenAI, Sam Altman, the president of OpenAI, Greg Brockman, and Microsoft as well.
What implications does the verdict have for Elon Musk's reputation?
He was suing for $150 billion. He wanted to see an unwinding of OpenAI's for-profit move. over the years and also wanted Sam Altman and Greg Brockman ousted, claiming that Altman and company had looted a charity that he set up with them back in 2015, OpenAI. They created it together and Musk made $38 million in donations in those early days. So that was the grounds upon which he was suing. It was ultimately OpenAI and company that won this case. This was a jury of nine Californians who ruled unanimously in less than two hours, by the way, that Elon Musk brought his lawsuit too late.
So we're talking about winning on a technicality.
We are. All they had to rule on was the statute of limitations, which basically nullifies the rest of the legal arguments here.
How has Sam Altman's reputation been affected by the trial?
Well, Raoul, you've had a busy week because I know you've been speaking and getting reaction from sort of some of the kind of who's who, the cognoscente of the tech world.
Well, I spoke to Cara Swisher. She's very well known as a tech journalist. She's in the new Devil Wears Prada film as well, if you want to go and watch that. This is what she made of the case.
The whole group of Silicon Valley are adult toddlers is what it says to me. And I'm sure the jury of normal people were like, who are these crazy people? The bunch of really sloppy, selfish, petty people fighting with each other over money. They already have billions of dollars already, but they want billions more. You know, first of all, Elon, whose reputation has gone into the trash heap here in the United States.
What does this case reveal about the tech industry's power dynamics?
in terms of his behaviors. He's a giant toddler, essentially. Sam Altman comes across as possibly disingenuous. Maybe he's a little manipulative. I don't really care what they're like, ultimately. I don't want them in charge of everybody. And that's the big issue here. That's the problem.
Yeah, I mean, it's adult toddlers with God complexes. You know, it's classic Silicon Valley, right?
How are public perceptions of AI changing after this trial?
You've got Elon Musk doing his maximum chaos routine. You've got Sam Altman, kind of the tech saint, both fighting over a company that started as a charity but ended up as this huge cash machine. Is this now completely over, Lily, given the central question wasn't answered?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What led to the courtroom battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman?
0:00–1:22
2
What were the main arguments presented in the lawsuit?
1:22–2:11
3
How did the jury reach their decision in the Musk vs. Altman case?
2:11–2:46
4
What implications does the verdict have for Elon Musk's reputation?
2:46–3:45
5
How has Sam Altman's reputation been affected by the trial?
3:45–4:24
6
What does this case reveal about the tech industry's power dynamics?
4:24–4:47
7
How are public perceptions of AI changing after this trial?
4:47–5:31
8
What are the potential future implications for AI regulations?
5:31–19:46
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