Elon Musk money manager Jared Birchall faces sharp questioning from judge

The most consequential moment in the Elon Musk versus Sam Altman trial on Thursday occurred after the jury was dismissed, as Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers took the unusual step of questioning a witness herself.

Jared Birchall, the long-time fixer and money manager for Musk, had initially provided unremarkable testimony until a note passed to his attorney shifted the courtroom dynamic.

This prompt led to questions regarding a $97.4 billion bid by xAI for OpenAI's assets in February 2025, a topic that had not been part of the original planned testimony.

Birchall alleged that the bid was submitted partly to force a proper market valuation of the non-profit's assets, asserting that "Sam Altman was on both sides of the table" during negotiations.

However, under direct questioning from the bench, Birchall claimed he could not recall discussing the multi-billion-pound bid with Musk or other senior principals.

This lack of recollection drew a sharp rebuke from Judge Gonzalez Rogers, who noted the inconsistency of raising such vast sums without general memory of the conversations.

"You must have been very convincing. You're not very convincing today," she remarked pointedly to the witness.

The tension escalated when the judge demanded to know who had authored the note, prompting the xAI enquiry.

Senior attorney Marc Toberoff eventually took responsibility, admitting he believed the introduction of the topic was appropriate.

Gonzalez Rogers responded by suggesting the legal team may have inadvertently "opened the door" to a fresh line of attack for the defence. Musk previously filed a similar suit against OpenAI in 2024 before withdrawing it.