Microsoft is trying to stay away from the Musk v. Altman

Maybe I’m just drunk in attendance for the third week Musk v. AltmanBut I have become very very In love with Microsoft during this trial. They don’t want to be here any more than I do.

Their opening statement was honestly one of the most annoying things I’ve ever seen at Microsoft. More than anything else, it was a Microsoft ad listing its products in some detail. The general gist, from this statement, is that this trial was ridiculous, their participation was ridiculous, but you, ladies and gentlemen on the jury, might still enjoy your Xbox game.

There’s been a lot of high drama on the platform, from Musk, his associates, and OpenAI. Microsoft was an early major funder of for-profit OpenAI, it’s true. We’ve seen internal emails about whether funding OpenAI is a good idea, and how to avoid IBM turning into OpenAI’s Microsoft. (In the context of this trial? Normal!)

But Microsoft is noticeably missing as the primary decision-maker in the extensive text message threads, diary entries, and other embarrassing ephemera. They showed up In just a few emailsThere were a few text messages from CEO Satya Nadella suggesting OpenAI board members or asking Sam Altman or Mira Murati to contact him, but that was about it.

On stage, Nadella was gentle and easygoing, as interesting and sensible as a pair of rolled-up khaki pants. His answers were largely unmemorable, except for one: He felt that the OpenAI board drama of 2023, when Altman was briefly ousted, “was an amateur town, as far as I was concerned.” TRUE! But this whole experience is a city for amateurs, as far as Microsoft is concerned. The 12 a.m. text messages between Musk’s followers, the dispute over property rights, Musk’s “I’ve had enough” email, all of that… not really adult behavior.

So throughout the trial, Musk’s lawyers and OpenAI’s lawyers were arguing over witnesses. Then Microsoft’s lawyers got up and, as with the final sentence of the trial, went through a series of events: “And was Microsoft there?” It wasn’t. “Has anyone at Microsoft told anything about this?” They didn’t. “Was Satya Nadella there?” It wasn’t. No more questions, Your Honor.

I look forward to their closing statement. Maybe it will be an ad for Microsoft Word.