OpenAI brings jackass statue to Musk trial
openai attempted to enter a trophy inscribed 'never stop being a jackass for safety' as evidence in the elon musk lawsuit, claiming it documents a 2018 safety dispute between musk and a current executive.
the trial between elon musk and openai opened with the defense presenting a bizarre artifact: a golden donkey statue inscribed 'never stop being a jackass for safety,' which was given to chief futurist joshua achiam by employees. openai lawyer bradley wilson argued the trophy commemorates a 2018 incident where achiam interrupted musk’s exit speech to warn that moving agi work to tesla would sacrifice safety, prompting musk to allegedly call him a 'jackass.' the defense claims this counters musk's argument that openai abandoned its safety mission, showing instead that musk respected disruptive internal safety advocacy. while judge rogers allowed testimony regarding the statue, she declined to make it a formal part of the court record, and musk acknowledged he likely used the insult to push employees out of their comfort zones.