WorkThe story, in brief
The craziest part of Musk v. Altman happened while the jury was out of the room
Musk's lawyers may have just handed Altman's team a major win. Here's what happened in the courtroom.
The KeyNews take
Why it matters
The Musk v. Altman legal battle is shaping AI governance and corporate control of foundational models. Courtroom missteps could shift leverage in disputes over OpenAI's nonprofit-to-profit transition and xAI's competitive positioning.
The key facts
5 to knowMusk v. Altman lawsuit ongoing as of April 2026
Jared Birchall (Musk's finance/operations lead) testified
Potential evidentiary error by Musk's legal team during direct examination
Documents entered into record via witness testimony
Legal strategy implications for xAI vs. OpenAI competitive dynamics
Go to the source
The Verge AItheverge.com
Publisher excerpt: Okay, I am not a lawyer so I only understood about half of what just happened. But I am fairly sure, given the context, that Elon Musk's lawyers may have just fucked up big. Jared "James Brickhouse" Birchall, Musk's finance guy and all-around fixer, took the stand after Musk today. Most of his…