The Tech Habits of Elon Musk: The Truth Behind His Claim of Not Using a Computer

In a surprising court filing related to his ongoing legal battle with OpenAI, Elon Musk's lawyers have stated that he "does not use a computer," despite the billionaire's numerous social media posts about his laptop. The claim was part of a Sunday court filing related to a lawsuit by Musk and his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, against OpenAI. Musk, an OpenAI co-founder, alleges that OpenAI committed a breach of contract by developing AI to profit Microsoft instead of following its founding agreement to use it "for the benefit of humanity." In the filing, Musk's lawyers stated that they had informed OpenAI on June 14 that they were "conducting searches of Mr. Musk's mobile phone, having searched his emails, and that Mr. Musk does not use a computer." However, several employees at xAI told Wired that while Musk primarily works off his phone, he does, on occasion, use a laptop. Musk's own social media posts also seem to indicate that he owns and uses at least one laptop. In a December 2024 post, he wrote, "This is a pic of my laptop. A guy in Germany gave me this cool sticker, so I don’t want to upgrade it and lose the sticker." He also posted what appeared to be the same laptop a month ago, writing in response to someone’s question about his gaming setup, "still using my ancient PC laptop with the @DOGE sticker made long ago by a fan." In July 2021, Musk wrote on xAI that he used a "PC desktop" in addition to a Mac. Photos of Musk’s office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington also appeared to have a gaming PC. Musk and Altman have been feuding since the launch of OpenAI in 2015. While OpenAI was started as a nonprofit to ensure AI would benefit all humanity, it became more commercial, much to the ire of Musk, who left its board in 2018. OpenAI would go on to become an AI pioneer in 2022 when it launched ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Musk launched his own for-profit artificial intelligence company, xAI. Musk initially sued OpenAI for breach of contract, saying it betrayed its founding mission as a nonprofit. While a judge denied his request to block OpenAI from becoming a for-profit company, she offered to hold a trial, which is set to take place next year. Earlier this year, OpenAI filed a separate lawsuit against Musk, claiming unfair competition and interference with its business relationships with investors and customers amidst their ongoing legal battle.