On the morning the OpenAI lawsuit opened in San Francisco, Elon Musk turned X into a battlefield, posting more than two dozen messages that painted the AI lab as a rogue charity. He reminded his roughly 240 million followers that he helped found the organization to safeguard humanity, then accused CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman of profiteering in the tech sector.

Musk’s barrage echoed a pattern of using the platform to sway public opinion, from election meddling to a prior lawsuit over his 2022 acquisition of Twitter. In that case a jury found him partially liable for investor losses, yet his posts rarely sway jurors who are barred from social media. Nonetheless, he amplified a repost claiming Altman “takes” while he “changes the world.”

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked Musk to consider a gag order, urging all parties to keep online commentary to a minimum. The request was granted, and the courtroom entered a “clean slate” as the trial proceeds. The dispute, centered on alleged misappropriation of OpenAI’s nonprofit mission, now hinges on legal arguments rather than Twitter theatrics.