Elizabeth Lopatto

YGR has just sat down on the bench. Jury’s not here yet, so we are dealing with some motions and issues.

I’ve just left the court after one of the most tiresome cross-examinations I have ever had the misfortune to witness. Elon Musk really wants us to think he’s just a poor simple country CEO who is being maliciously tricked by a big-city lawyer. I’m not buying it and I don’t think the jury is, either.

Well there goes all my fun! I was so excited to hear about MechaHilter in open court — and, in addition, Sam Altman apologizing to a Canadian town for OpenAI not flagging a mass shooter. But since Musk did bring up the difference in for-profit and not-for-profit motives, there is a limited line of questioning that can proceed.

There are a few matters the lawyers want to discuss with YGR. Musk’s testimony may have opened the door to questions about xAI and its safety record. I do love hearing the phrase “opened the door.”

Elon Musk is trying to outlawyer the lawyer on cross. At one point YGR has to intervene to get him to answer a yes-or-no question with “yes.” At another, he raised his voice to lecture Savitt — not sure if the jury noticed the, uh, well, it wasn’t quite yelling but it came pretty close.

“Your questions are not simple, they are designed to trick me, essentially. If you ask a question where there is no possible simple answer, I must give a longer answer.”

We have been scolded now twice today for people trying to take photos or videos in the courthouse. Do not do that.

In discussing one of Musk’s Twitter posts about OpenAI, Musk says that OpenAI’s lawyers “were trying to trick the jury” in the opening statements.

When asked again about Shivon Zilis, he said clearly, “We live together and she’s the mother of four of my children,” a thing he could not summon up yesterday.