Musk vs. Altman trial kicks off with jurors calling Elon a ‘racist piece of garbage’

The courtroom showdown between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over OpenAI’s alleged broken promises kicked off Monday, and jury selection went about as well for Musk as you’d expect.

Elizabeth Lopatto from The Verge was in the room and shared some choice quotes from the juror questionnaires. Let’s just say the pool of potential jurors didn’t hold back:

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

“Elon Musk is a world-class jerk.”

“I very much dislike Tesla. As a woman of color, I am very aware of the damaging statements and actions Elon Musk has enacted and been a part of.”

This is the problem when you’re one of the most polarizing figures on the planet. You can’t exactly walk into a courtroom and expect a clean slate. Musk has spent years cultivating a public persona that’s equal parts visionary and troll, and it turns out that doesn’t play well when you’re trying to convince a jury you’re the wronged party.

The case itself is about whether OpenAI broke its original nonprofit promises when it shifted to a for-profit model. Musk, who was an early investor and board member, claims Altman and the company misled him. OpenAI counters that Musk knew exactly what was happening and is now just bitter he’s not running the show.

But the jury selection drama is a reminder that lawsuits aren’t just about facts and law. They’re about people, and people come with baggage. When your client is Elon Musk, that baggage is a full set of Louis Vuitton trunks, each one filled with controversy.

I’ve seen tech founders try to sue their way out of bruised egos before, but this one feels different. Musk isn’t just any plaintiff — he’s the guy who bought Twitter, fired half the staff, reinstated banned accounts, and then complained about advertisers leaving. He’s the guy who called a rescue diver a “pedo guy” and got away with it in court. He’s the guy whose public statements are so erratic that Tesla’s own lawyers have to remind him not to tweet.

Good luck finding 12 people who haven’t formed an opinion about that.

The trial is expected to last several weeks. But honestly, the hardest part for Musk’s legal team might already be over: getting a jury that doesn’t already hate him.