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Judge in OpenAI trial has had it with Musk’s ‘steal from a charity’ quip: ‘You’re not a lawyer’

Nypost · · 608 words · By Marc Vartabedian
Corporate mission vs. profit motives in AI Legal disputes in AI technology
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/business/judge-in-openai-trial-keeps-elon-in-check…

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Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 7
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“The judge presiding over the bombshell trial over the future of OpenAI has apparently had it with Elon Musk’s favorite line over the last three days – “You just can’t steal from a charity” – at one point reminding Musk that he was “not a lawyer.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that the judge intervened regarding Musk's repeated phrases and that he was reminded of his legal status. Specifically, one source mentions the judge interjecting several times to tell Musk something, and another source details the judge's intervention in the context of the trial.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Businessman and U.S. political figure Elon Musk is a focal point of extensive press coverage, with public attitudes towards him fluctuating at various points throughout his career. Although his ventur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_image_of_Elon_Musk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The legal affairs of Elon Musk encompass the legal cases involving Elon Musk as the plaintiff, defendant, or concerning his companies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_Elon_Musk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Musk Foundation is a United States–based charitable foundation funded and directed primarily by Elon Musk. The foundation is dedicated to promoting renewable energy, crewed space exploration, pedi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_Foundation
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“She struck the phrase from the record and told Musk to “Please try to respond to the specific questions.””
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm the judge's action of striking the phrase from the record and instructing Musk to respond to specific questions. One source explicitly states Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers moved to strike Musk’s charity statement from the record, and another source details the judge's intervention in the context of the trial.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Black conservatism in the United States is a political and social movement rooted in African-American communities that aligns largely with the American conservative movement and is part of black conse…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_conservatism_in_the_Unit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He has been leader of the Workers Party of Britain since he founded it in 2019, and is a former leader of the Re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Galloway
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Musk v. Altman is a pending lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in which Elon Musk accuses OpenAI and its executives, including CEO Sam Altman, of viola…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_v._Altman
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Musk has repeatedly recited variations of the phrase while being hammered by artificial-intelligence giant OpenAI’s lawyer William Savitt during cross-examination, which continued into its second day on Thursday.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Musk was cross-examined by William Savitt regarding the repeated use of the phrase. One source explicitly names William Savitt as the lawyer and confirms the repeated nature of the exchange.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elon Musk initiated an acquisition of the American social media company Twitter, Inc. on April 14, 2022, and concluded it on October 27, 2022. Musk had begun buying shares of the company in January 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Savitt (born 1964) is an American lawyer and lecturer in law. Savitt is a partner at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He has played a significant role in several high-profile legal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Savitt
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web search NEUTRAL — Musk has repeatedly recited variations of the phrase while being hammered by artificial-intelligence giant OpenAI's lawyer William Savitt during cross-examination, which continued into its ...
https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/business/judge-in-openai-trial…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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“Musk’s lawsuit alleges that OpenAI betrayed its altruistic mission in pursuit of profit.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Musk's lawsuit alleges that OpenAI betrayed its original mission or promise, specifically by shifting towards a for-profit structure or by prioritizing profit.
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web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk is once again suing OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, resurrecting a legal battle against his former partners with a case that now claims they manipulated him into co-founding the …
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/05/e…
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web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman, alleging the start-up betrayed its original promise of working to benefit humanity when it forged a multibillion-dollar alliance with Micr…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/1/elon-musk-sues-opena…
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web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI will be heard by a jury in March, marking a major escalation in the high-profile AI dispute.Musk sued OpenAI and its senior leadership in 2024, alleging that the org…
https://www.ibtimes.com/elon-musk-lawsuit-claims-openai-betr…
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“Meanwhile, Musk acknowledged there was no written contract with OpenAI detailing the terms of his donation to the company to get OpenAI off the ground as a nonprofit research organization.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Musk acknowledged the lack of a written contract detailing the terms of his initial donation to OpenAI as a nonprofit research organization.
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web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk acknowledged there was no written agreement or contract with OpenAI regarding the terms of his donation to the company when it was first founded as a nonprofit research organization more tha…
https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/musk-says-no-written-agr…
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web search NEUTRAL — In his lawsuit, Musk has argued that Altman steered the company they cofounded a decade ago, ChatGPT creator OpenAI, away from its original mission as a nonprofit meant to develop advanced AI for the …
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5801438/musk-altman-ope…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mr. Musk has claimed that OpenAI abandoned its founding promise to remain a nonprofit and that his co-founders, including the company’s chief executive, Sam Altman, took advantage of his donations.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/30/technology/openai-tr…
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“Savitt lambasted Musk’s repeated claims that he hadn’t read the full document term sheet document – before Musk fell back on his quip that stealing from a charity wasn’t ok.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that William Savitt challenged Musk's claims regarding the term sheet document and that Musk responded with his quip about stealing from a charity. One source details the 'testy exchange' involving Savitt and Musk regarding the commitment and the quip.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elon Musk initiated an acquisition of the American social media company Twitter, Inc. on April 14, 2022, and concluded it on October 27, 2022. Musk had begun buying shares of the company in January 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Savitt (born 1964) is an American lawyer and lecturer in law. Savitt is a partner at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He has played a significant role in several high-profile legal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Savitt
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web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk sparred with an attorney for OpenAI and Sam Altman during his cross examination on Wednesday - with Musk hitting back repeatedly at the attorney William Savitt's yes or no line of ...
https://nypost.com/2026/04/29/business/musk-and-openais-lawy…
+ 2 more evidence sources
verified
“Later, Musk accused Savitt of not only asking a leading question but offering a leading answer to his leading question.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elon Musk initiated an acquisition of the American social media company Twitter, Inc. on April 14, 2022, and concluded it on October 27, 2022. Musk had begun buying shares of the company in January 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Savitt (born 1964) is an American lawyer and lecturer in law. Savitt is a partner at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He has played a significant role in several high-profile legal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Savitt
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web search NEUTRAL — Savitt questioned Musk about Tesla’s pursuits with artificial general intelligence, submitting several documents into evidence, including one in which Musk said he plans to build an “enormous AI-enabl…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/29/elon-musk…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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“Rogers interrupted. “You’re not a lawyer, Mr. Musk,” Rogers said.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers intervened and addressed Musk's conduct, stating he was not going 'there' or that the discussion was inappropriate, confirming the judge's intervention.
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web search NEUTRAL — Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the case in federal court in Oakland, Calif., interrupted Mr. Savitt and Mr. Musk multiple times during the cross-examination on Wednesday. “The cla…
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/30/technology/openai-tr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Musk said. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the trial, jumped in, saying, “No, we’re not going to go there” — eliciting titters from the courtroom.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/29/business/musk-and-openais-lawy…
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web search NEUTRAL — The judge cut Musk off, telling him they weren’t going to “go there.” After the jury and Musk left the courtroom for the day on Wednesday, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers conceded to OpenAI’s lawyers tha…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/30/tech/takeaways-elon-musk-open…
info
“Musk then acknowledged “I’m not a lawyer.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is based on the context of the trial reports, but no independent source directly quotes or confirms Musk's explicit acknowledgment, 'I'm not a lawyer,' in the provided evidence. The evidence is insufficient to corroborate this specific acknowledgment.
help
“OpenAI’s lawyer started to butt in. “Both of you stop,” the judge said. “We don’t need to have this whole thing explode in this courtroom in this way.” This is not a trial of the safety risks of artificial intelligence. We are not going to get sidetracked on that issue.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Although the evidence shows the judge intervening to manage the trial's focus, none of the provided web search results contain the specific quote or statement that the judge intervened to say the trial was not about the safety risks of artificial intelligence.
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“At one point, Musk referred to a worst case scenario where AI creates s “terminator situation.””
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“Musk also said xAI, in developing its own models, has “partly” distilled some of OpenAI’s technology by a process known as “distillation,” which takes one AI tech and uses it to create another.”
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“Savitt asked Musk if xAI “distilled” technology from OpenAI. OpenAI’s terms of service doesn’t allow distillation of the company’s systems.”
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““Generally AI companies distill other AI companies,” Musk said.”
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“Musk answered, “Partly.””
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“Musk is seeking $180 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, pledging to donate any proceeds from a court victory to OpenAI’s charitable arm.”
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“He is also asking the court to restore OpenAI’s nonprofit status and remove Altman and Brockman from leadership roles.”
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“Musk in court yesterday said that he was a “fool” to trust Sam Altman with the future of OpenAI – “I was a fool who provided them free funding to create a startup,” Musk said. “I gave them $38 million of essentially free funding to create what would become an $800 billion company.””
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.