Some jurors in Musk v. Altman don’t like Elon Musk

It was the jury He was selected Monday during the first day of trial Musk v. Altman In federal court in Oakland, California. Some of the jurors ultimately selected expressed concerns about Musk himself, as well as about the artificial intelligence technology at the heart of the case, but assured the court that they would put those concerns aside at trial. The kickoff also prompted a host of shenanigans outside the courtroom.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman were spotted in the security line inside the courthouse this morning, but Elon Musk is nowhere to be found. A few dozen journalists crowded into a packed room to listen to an audio broadcast of the proceedings.

The goal today was to select nine jurors who could be fair and impartial in this case — a particularly difficult challenge given that the main figures are some of the world’s most prominent technology executives. Several potential jurors said they had negative opinions of Musk when questioned by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and attorneys. But this does not necessarily mean that they are ineligible; Only one juror was ultimately excused based on their strong negative opinions of Musk.

“The truth is, a lot of people don’t like him,” Gonzalez-Rogers told the courtroom. She added that she believes that Americans who have negative feelings toward Musk can still enjoy integrity in the judicial process and have the case decided fairly. The jury will help determine the basic facts regarding whether Sam Altman and the other defendants improperly directed the nonprofit OpenAI project away from its original mission, potentially violating the law in the process. But their ruling will be advisory, and Gonzalez-Rogers will have the final say.

The nine jurors ultimately selected represent a quite diverse group, including a painter, a former Lockheed Martin employee, and a psychiatrist. Some said they had negative views about AI technology more broadly. However, in the end, all of the people selected for the court stressed that their outside opinions about Musk and AI should not interfere with their ability to determine the facts of the case.

OpenAI attorney William Savitt said in a press conference afterward that he was satisfied with the jury the court settled on.

“Mr. Altman, Mr. Brockman and OpenAI are looking forward to presenting their case to this jury. They are confident in their position and are looking forward to learning the facts,” Savitt told reporters. “The hurdle we think we need to get over is just presenting the truth here. We have a story about what happened that is consistent with the facts, consistent with the documents, and we just want the jury to see that.”

Musk is already trying to win his case in the court of public opinion. On Monday morning, the billionaire used his social media platform X to advance a recent New Yorker investigation into Altman’s alleged deceptive business conduct. The story goes back weeks, and the fact that Musk promoted it on the first day of the trial is no coincidence. Earlier this morning, OpenAI’s official newsroom account published a post on X calling Musk’s lawsuit “an attempt to undermine our work to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” Meanwhile, demonstrators were outside the court protesting the AI ​​race altogether and calling for a halt to further development.

On Tuesday, lawyers for OpenAI and Elon Musk will deliver opening statements, and the first witness in the case will be called to the stand.

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