'That's not how it works' - the judge crossing swords with Musk in court

BBC News · May 06, 2026 · 1248 words · By Lily Jamali

Elon Musk's Influence Judicial Authority Tech Industry Conflict

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx214rnlpn7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

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

schedule Pending 9

help Insufficient Evidence 4

verified Verified By Reference 4

check_circle Corroborated 1

info Single Source 1

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“Elon Musk's resources and connections often make it easy for him bend Silicon Valley to his will.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided to support or refute the claim regarding Musk's influence in Silicon Valley or the specific normalized claim about his net worth being over three-quarters of a trillion dollars.

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“his $150bn (£110bn) lawsuit against OpenAI, currently playing out in a California court.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results and Wikipedia confirm the lawsuit (Musk v. Altman) in the Northern District of California and specifically mention the $150 billion in damages sought.

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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

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Musk v. Altman is an ongoing 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 viol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_v._Altman

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“Musk co-founded the company in 2015 with CEO Sam Altman, and left three years later after a power struggle.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results explicitly state that OpenAI was founded in December 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Musk family is a prominent family with roots in South Africa, Canada, England, and the United States, whose most famous member is businessman and entrepreneur Elon Musk, the wealthiest person in t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_family

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elon Musk has been actively involved in politics, particularly in the United States and Europe, throughout the majority of his business career. Despite historically donating to and voting for both Dem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_Elon_M…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Samuel Harris Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur who has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI since 2019. Altman attended Stanford…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Altman

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Musk vs Altman is just the latest high-profile Big Tech case to cross US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers's bench.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web search results confirm that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is presiding over the Musk v. Altman case.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of all current judges of the United States district and territorial courts. The list includes both "active" and "senior" judges, both of whom hear and decide cases. There are 8…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_States_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maria Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (born February 1, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Appo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Gonzalez_Rogers

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The 61-year-old federal judge, who originally hails from southern Texas”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers was born on February 1, 1965 (making her 60 or 61 depending on the current date) and is a federal judge. While the 'southern Texas' detail is not explicitly in the provided snippet, her birth date and role are verified.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_District_Court_f…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Gonzalez Rogers was once also a partner [at Cooley LLP]”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results regarding Judge Rogers's previous partnership at Cooley LLP.

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“Musk has accused Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman of a breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for claim 6 consists of general biographies of Elon Musk and does not specifically confirm the legal accusations of 'breach of charitable trust' or 'unjust enrichment' in the provided snippets, although the lawsuit itself is confirmed in other claims.

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web search NEUTRAL — Elon Reeve Musk (/ ˈiːlɒn / EE-lon; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman and entrepreneur known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI. Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk

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web search NEUTRAL — Experiential learning, outstanding teaching & mentoring, and an excellent four-year graduation rate make Elon a top-100 National University.
https://www.elon.edu/

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Elon Musk cofounded seven companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI.
https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/

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“He objects to OpenAI's decision to open a for-profit arm in 2019, three years before it debuted the software ChatGPT”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and Britannica confirm that OpenAI created a for-profit subsidiary/arm in 2019. ChatGPT was released in November 2022, which is approximately three years after 2019.

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web search NEUTRAL — OpenAI was founded in 2015 in Delaware as a nonprofit. A for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit was created in 2019, and a 2025 restructuring converted the subsidiary into a PBC that is 26% owned by t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openai

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web search NEUTRAL — We believe our research will eventually lead to artificial general intelligence, a system that can solve human-level problems. Building safe and beneficial AGI is our mission.
https://openai.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — In 2019, OpenAI set up an unconventional hybrid nonprofit and for-profit model with a commercial arm that would allow it to raise more capital. Following this transition, OpenAI entered into a strateg…
https://www.britannica.com/money/OpenAI

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“OpenAI says Musk is suing to give his own AI startup, xAI, a leg-up.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided to confirm OpenAI's specific claim that the lawsuit is intended to benefit xAI.

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“While the nine-person jury is expected to decide the case by the end of this month, their decision is not binding. They serve in an advisory role.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided regarding the specific nature of the jury (advisory vs binding) or the timeline for their decision.

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“she is overseeing a multi-district litigation, in which social media addiction lawsuits brought by school districts and states against Meta, Snap, TikTok and Google have been consolidated.”

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“She also handled an antitrust case brought by Epic Games against Apple”

PENDING

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“Last year, in a stunning court filing, Gonzalez Rogers wrote that an Apple executive "outright lied" under oath and referred the matter to the US Attorney for the Northern District of California.”

PENDING

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“An appeals court upheld her finding of contempt, but found that she went too far when she barred Apple from collecting any commission from sellers who use third-party payment systems.”

PENDING

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“This week, the Supreme Court declined Apple’s request to stay the appeals court ruling.”

PENDING

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“Gonzalez Rogers was appointed to a lifetime seat on the federal bench in Oakland, California, in 2011 by then-President Barack Obama.”

PENDING

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“She attended Princeton University”

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“After attending law school, Gonzalez Rogers spent more than a decade in private practice, achieving the status of partner in her law firm before then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her as a local superior court judge.”

PENDING

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“Gonzalez Rogers has run a tight ship since the Musk v Altman trial began in late April.”

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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.

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'That's not how it works' - the judge crossing swords with Musk in court

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