Musk v. Altman Was Peak Silicon Valley Theatrics

Musk v. Altman Was Peak Silicon Valley Theatrics

From Close All Tabs by KQED

May 27, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the dramatic Musk v. Altman trial and its implications for Silicon Valley and AI leadership.

For three weeks, all eyes were on a salacious courtroom drama unfolding in Oakland, California. The Musk v. Altman trial had everything you’d expect from a favorite soap opera: Backstabbing? Check! Secret diary entries? Check! Pleading text messages? Check! And two billionaire buddies turned rivals duking it out over who did or did not steal a charity. Morgan and KQED’s Rachel Myrow explore the trial highlights, outcome and the big question: what was it all for? Guests: Rachael Myrow, senior editor, Silicon Valley News Desk at KQED Further Reading/Listening: Federal Court Rules Against Elon Musk in His Bitter Feud With Sam Altman — Katie DeBenedetti and Rachael Myrow, KQED Everyone at the Musk v. Altman Trial Is Using Fancy Butt Cushions — Paresh Dave, WIRED Musk v. Altman proved that AI is led by the wrong people — Hayden Field, The Verge Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? — Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker Advice for 2026 commencement speakers: Don't bring up AI — Jude Joffe-Block and Michelle Aslam, NPR Read the Transcript here Email us at CloseAllTabs@KQED.orgFollow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠Credits: Close All Tabs is hosted by Morgan…

People in this episode

Host: Morgan Sung

Guest: Rachael Myrow

Topics covered

  • courtroom drama
  • Silicon Valley
  • billionaire rivalry
  • AI ethics
  • media coverage

Keywords

  • Musk v. Altman
  • courtroom drama
  • Silicon Valley
  • AI
  • billionaires

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: KQED, WIRED, The Verge, The New Yorker, NPR

Books & works: Musk v. Altman

Places: Oakland, California

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