In a legal battle already defined by eccentric personalities and high-stakes tech rivalry, a surprising detail has emerged regarding the legal team representing Elon Musk in his ongoing litigation against
Sam Altman and OpenAI. According to reports, one of the attorneys fighting on the front lines of this discovery battle is Jaymie Parkkinen, a lawyer who quite literally leads a double life as a professional clown.
The Double Life of Jaymie Parkkinen
Jaymie Parkkinen, an attorney with Toberoff & Associates, has been a visible figure in the Musk-Altman legal showdown, specifically handling contentious discovery disputes. However, when he is not filing legal briefs or arguing over subpoenas in federal court, he operates a business in Los Angeles called Clown Cardio. This venture combines his passion for physical comedy with aerobics, offering hour-long classes that use improv, theatre games, and laughter to provide a high-intensity workout.
The “clowning” Parkkinen practices is a far cry from the traditional birthday party stereotype involving red noses and oversized shoes. Instead, it is rooted in the high-concept physical comedy of legends like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Parkkinen describes the art as an exploration of the “raw human self” once social masks and trappings like power or status are stripped away—a philosophical approach that stands in stark contrast to the high-status world of Silicon Valley litigation.
Clowning in the Courtroom
Despite the apparent contradiction, Parkkinen maintains that his two professions are deeply complementary. He has noted that courtroom advocacy and clowning both rely on a performer’s ability to read an audience, maintain timing, and establish a genuine connection with people. This “showmanship” has been put to the test in the Musk vs OpenAI case, which has seen fierce procedural grinding throughout 2025.
Parkkinen was notably the attorney who authored a June 2025 letter to the judge explaining that searches of Musk’s devices were complicated because the CEO “does not use a computer”, a detail that became a significant flashpoint in the case. He has also been active in pressing for subpoenas of former OpenAI executives, such as Mira Murati, as the case marches toward a scheduled trial in March 2026.
The inclusion of a “clown cardio” expert on Musk’s legal bench has provided a colourful subplot to a case that is otherwise defined by grim allegations of breach of contract and the betrayal of OpenAI’s founding nonprofit mission. As the trial approaches, the Silicon Valley legal community is watching closely to see if this unique blend of theatrical timing and legal grit will yield a win for the world’s richest man.
