The Courtroom Showdown Between Elon Musk and Sam Altman

For the last three weeks, a messy, dramatic battle has played out between two of the most powerful titans of tech in the world: Elon Musk and Sam Altman. As jury deliberations begin today, the technology reporter Mike Isaac takes us inside the courtroom drama and explains how a corporate dispute got extremely personal. Guest: Mike Isaac (https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-isaac) , a New York Times reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering tech companies and Silicon Valley. Background reading:  • Inside the courtroom circus (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/te...) with Elon Musk and Sam Altman. • Musk lawyer’s question for Sam Altman on the stand: Are you trustworthy (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/te...) ? Photo: Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters, Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-t...) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-acce.... For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.