Elon Musk’s worst enemy in court is Elon Musk

About five hours into Elon Musk’s testimony, I typed the following sentence into my notes: “I have never been more sympathetic to Sam Altman in my life.”

Musk’s direct testimony was an improvement over yesterday – even if his lawyer kept asking leading questions to cue him in how to answer. But that memory was immediately obliterated by an absolutely miserable cross-examination. For hours, Musk refused to answer yes or no questions with yes or no, occasionally “forgot” things he’d testified to in the morning, and scolded defense lawyer William Savitt. I watched a few jury members glance at each other. During one testy exchange, one woman actually laughed.

Look, I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve covered enough courtroom drama to know when a witness is digging their own grave. Musk’s performance was less about legal strategy and more about ego. He kept trying to outsmart Savitt, which only made him look evasive. At one point, Savitt asked if Musk had ever called OpenAI’s board structure “illegal.” Musk deflected, rambled about Twitter, and then claimed he couldn’t remember. The jury wasn’t buying it.

The whole thing felt like watching a billionaire throw a tantrum because someone dared to ask him a direct question. And here’s the thing: Musk’s lawyers probably prepped him for this. They told him to keep answers short, admit when you don’t know, and don’t argue with the examiner. He did the opposite. It’s like he can’t help himself.

This is the same guy who runs multiple companies, including one that wants to implant chips in human brains. But in court, he couldn’t handle a simple cross-examination. That’s not a good look when you’re trying to convince a jury that OpenAI and Sam Altman wronged you.

I’ve been critical of Altman before – the guy has his own baggage. But watching Musk self-destruct on the stand made me appreciate that at least Altman knows how to keep his mouth shut when it matters. Musk’s worst enemy in this courtroom wasn’t Savitt. It was the guy in the mirror.