PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
- Resurfaced texts between Sam Altman and Mira Murati have become raw material for meme makers.
- Judging from posts on X, "directionally very bad" has entered the meme lexicon.
- The texts are part of the evidence in the trial over Elon Musk's lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI.
There's something for everyone in the texts between former OpenAI colleagues Sam Altman and Mira Murati that resurfaced this week in the trial over Elon Musk's lawsuit.
As soon as the exchanges were posted to social media Wednesday night, users began repurposing them — turning Altman's pleas about his future at OpenAI and Murati's very frank responses into relatable memes.
Among the most creative was a post on X that set the conversation to music, transforming it into a "2011 style emo" love song.
the anthem deserves a cover pic.twitter.com/DEiAw9oD4h
— Sid (@sidisgame) May 7, 2026
The snippet in which Altman asks Murati for intel about his standing during his short-lived 2023 ouster from OpenAI seems to be a favorite.
One X user quipped that they were trying to figure out how to make "directionally very bad" — Murati's blunt message to Altman about the situation — into a Halloween costume.
Going to be the concept of "directionally very bad" for Halloween this year https://t.co/83aRy0L5GG
— Madison Mills (@MadisonMills22) May 7, 2026
me when my editor asks how the draft is coming along pic.twitter.com/d0BP2Frskw
— Rachel Metz (@rachelmetz) May 7, 2026
Reading about hantavirus pic.twitter.com/VxP0mEhYh1
— Allison Braley 🦊 (@allisonbraley) May 7, 2026
Altman being told that he was unwelcome at discussions about OpenAI's future resonated deeply.
how it feels to be a woman in sf pic.twitter.com/lXo6MXyTNd
— jaiya (@jaiyagill) May 7, 2026
Trying to get a $1m slice of Anthropic allocation pic.twitter.com/fRS8z5gbPv
— Turner Novak 🍌🧢 (@TurnerNovak) May 7, 2026
the wilting lettuce in my fridge watching me order Thai food again: pic.twitter.com/qHomDgkeE8
— trash jones (@jzux) May 7, 2026
The texts are part of the exhibits in the blockbuster trial underway in federal court in San Francisco over the $150 billion lawsuit Musk filed against Altman and OpenAI, alleging he was deceived into bankrolling a nonprofit that was turned into a for-profit entity after he left.
Murati, who took the stand at the trial, was the chief technology officer at OpenAI when Altman was ousted, and in the texts, he beseeched her for information and help returning. Murati later left OpenAI to start her own company, Thinking Machines Lab.
At one point, she tells Altman that the board appointed a new CEO — former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear — and refers to him as "rando Twitch guy." The phrase is so brutally dismissive that one can only cheer for Shear's pitch-perfect response.
It’s an honor just to be nominated
— Emmett Shear (@eshear) May 7, 2026
lol love this pic.twitter.com/wF2AnWYQWa
— Aryan Chaturvedi (@AryanC111) May 7, 2026
The trial is expected to continue at least into next week. Hopefully, the memes will, too.
Read the original article on Business Insider
