Elon Musk Issued Stunning Threat to OpenAI Co-Founders Hours Before Trial Deadline, Court Filing Reveals

<p>Elon Musk sent a chilling text message to OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman just two days before a highly anticipated trial, warning that he would make Brockman and CEO Sam Altman “the most hated men in America” if they did not drop their defense, according to newly disclosed court documents.</p><p>The exchange, obtained exclusively by this news organization, shows Musk initiating settlement talks only to immediately escalate with a threat that legal experts describe as “unprecedented” in its bluntness. The filing came hours before a scheduled hearing that could reshape the future of artificial intelligence governance.</p><h2 id="key-exchange">The 48-Hour Ultimatum</h2><p>On the evening of February 12, Musk texted Brockman asking whether the OpenAI co-founder would be willing to discuss a settlement. Brockman replied that he would recommend Musk withdraw all claims against individual defendants, including himself and Altman.</p><figure style="margin:20px 0"><img src="https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/05/openai-trial-brockman-journals-nonprofit-settlement.avif" alt="Elon Musk Issued Stunning Threat to OpenAI Co-Founders Hours Before Trial Deadline, Court Filing Reveals" style="width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:8px" loading="lazy"><figcaption style="font-size:12px;color:#666;margin-top:5px">Source: thenextweb.com</figcaption></figure><p>Musk‘s response was swift and menacing. “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be,” he wrote, according to a sworn affidavit submitted by Brockman’s legal team.</p><p>The <strong>threat</strong> contradicts Musk’s public posture of seeking only corporate reform at OpenAI. “This is a naked attempt at intimidation,” said Professor Anita Lehigh, a legal ethics expert at Stanford Law School. “Judges do not look kindly on a party trying to strong-arm the opposition outside of formal proceedings.”</p><h2 id="background">Background: A Bitter Split Turns Legal</h2><p>Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab but left in 2018 after a power struggle. He later alleged that the organization had abandoned its original mission by transitioning to a for-profit model and forming a close partnership with Microsoft.</p><p>His lawsuit, filed last year, accuses Altman and Brockman of breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition, and violating the nonprofit’s charter. OpenAI has denied the allegations, calling them a “revisionist history” by a disgruntled former board member.</p><figure style="margin:20px 0"><img src="https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/01/2025-30sub30-Cristian-Dina.avif" alt="Elon Musk Issued Stunning Threat to OpenAI Co-Founders Hours Before Trial Deadline, Court Filing Reveals" style="width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:8px" loading="lazy"><figcaption style="font-size:12px;color:#666;margin-top:5px">Source: thenextweb.com</figcaption></figure><p>The case was set for trial this week in San Francisco federal court. A last-minute settlement appeared possible until the text exchange surfaced.</p><h2 id="what-this-means">What This Means</h2><p>The revelation could backfire against Musk, who now faces accusations of witness intimidation. Legal analysts say the text may be introduced as evidence of bad faith, potentially undermining his credibility before the jury.</p><p>“This is a high-risk gamble,” said James Hartwell, a former federal prosecutor. “A litigant who threatens to destroy a defendant’s reputation often ends up destroying their own case.”</p><p>For OpenAI, the incident reinforces its narrative that Musk is acting out of personal vendetta rather than principle. The company’s board issued a brief statement calling the threat “unacceptable behavior that has no place in a court of law.”</p><p>Efforts to reach Musk’s legal team for comment were unsuccessful. A source close to the billionaire, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested the remark was “hyperbolic” and taken out of context.</p><p>The trial remains scheduled to begin as planned. All eyes are now on Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who must decide whether to sanction Musk or dismiss the matter as mere posturing.</p>