Elon Musk Reportedly Had an OpenAI Settlement Attempt Go Astray
Elon Musk reportedly tried to have his lawsuit against OpenAI end with a settlement, but it did not go well. according to reports.
May 5 2026, Published 3:50 p.m. ET
The world's richest man, billionaire Elon Musk, reportedly texted the president of OpenAI, Greg Brockman, to request a settlement over the lawsuit he filed against the company. The billionaire was a co-founder of OpenAI and also helped to fund the company, per CNN, and Elon claims executives of OpenAI tricked him into donating the money and of “stealing a charity.”
Elon reportedly threatened the OpenAI president after seeking to settle the lawsuit before the trial, which started on April 28, per The New York Times. Things didn't go as Elon had thought they might, and he reacted with a threat.
Elon Musk's AI settlement attempt goes left.
According to CNBC, Elon filed a $150 million lawsuit against OpenAI, and two days before the trial was set to begin, he texted the company president “to gauge interest in settlement.” However, when the president did not accept his terms, Elon allegedly threatened him and CEO Sam Altman.
“When Mr. Brockman responded with a suggestion that both sides drop their respective claims, Mr. Musk shot back, ‘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 court document reads. "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 Tesla founder was also reportedly upset that OpenAI went back on their word to keep the coany alleging they went back on their commitment to keep a nonprofit and to follow a charitable mission. Elon claims he donated at least $38 million to the company, and it used the funds for unauthorized commercial purposes, claiming OpenAI had become “the tail wagging the dog.”
OpenAI shared a post on X about the lawsuit and called Elon "jealous."
"We can't wait to make our case in court where both the truth and the law are on our side," read the post. "This lawsuit has always been a baseless and jealous bid to derail a competitor. We'll also finally have the chance to question Mr. Musk under oath before a jury of Californians about this attempt to undermine our work to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity."
However, OpenAI claims that the SpaceX owner wanted a for-profit corporation, and they allegedly showed evidence in court. Both Elon and the company's president have testified for several hours in the trial, and the X owner was dragged on the platform by users over it.
"Spending three days in a witness chair just to protect an ego is a massive waste of resources," wrote one user. "This isn't about saving humanity or AI safety, it's a billionaire tantrum because he’s no longer the center of the project he walked away from. Pure theater." Another joked, "You were supposed to stay non-profit. Now give me $150 billion for my $38 million investment."