News · 6 min read

Musk Hops a Jet to Beijing With Trump Mid-Trial, While the Judge Taps Her Foot

Musk Hops a Jet to Beijing With Trump Mid-Trial, While the Judge Taps Her Foot

Picture the scene. You're suing your former co-founder for one hundred and fifty billion dollars, the judge has politely asked you to stick around in case she needs another word, and your phone buzzes with an invitation from the President of the United States to pop over to Beijing. What would a reasonable witness do? Reader, Elon Musk did not do that thing. The short version, for those just tuning in Elon Musk left the witness stand in Oakland on 30 April 2026 after testifying in his civil case against Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers placed him on recall status, meaning she could call him back at any moment. On Tuesday 12 May, Musk boarded Air Force One with Donald Trump and flew roughly 5,900 miles to Beijing, arriving the next day. Final testimony in his own…

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