Jury selection in Musk v. Altman: ‘People don’t like him’

Apr 28, 2026 10:39 AM - 7 hours ago 239

Elon Musk’s nationalist persona is an issue.

by Richard Lawler

Apr 28, 2026, 3:39 AM UTC

An image of Elon Musk successful a tuxedo making an overseas face. The inheritance is reddish pinch weight scales connected it.

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Richard Lawler

is a elder editor pursuing news crossed tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge successful 2021 aft respective years covering news astatine Engadget.

On Monday, the courtroom conflict between Elon Musk and Sam Altman complete alleged surgery promises astatine OpenAI started, arsenic usual, pinch assemblage selection. The only tricky part? A batch of the prospective jurors already person an sentiment astir Elon Musk, and it’s not a bully one.

The Verge newsman Elizabeth Lopatto, who was location astatine the courthouse, quoted statements from immoderate of the juror questionnaires:

“Elon Musk is simply a greedy, racist, homophobic portion of garbage.”

“Elon Musk is simply a world-class jerk.”

“I very overmuch dislike Tesla. As a female of color, I americium very alert of the damaging statements and actions Elon Musk has enacted and been a portion of.”

Musk’s lawyers took rumor pinch immoderate of the group who said they already don’t for illustration Musk and tried to get them struck from the excavation of imaginable jurors for cause. However, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said, “The reality is that group don’t for illustration him… Many group don’t for illustration him, but that doesn’t mean that Americans nevertheless can’t person integrity for the judicial process.” While the responses supra whitethorn not bespeak the opinions of the 9 group selected for the jury, the chosen group includes immoderate who said they whitethorn not for illustration Musk aliases person antagonistic opinions astir AI technology, but wouldn’t fto that interfere pinch really they spot the facts of the case.

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