New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin on Monday issued a subpoena compelling Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI to appear at the Council’s Oct. 5 hearing on artificial intelligence risks, the Council said in a press release. CNBC reported that the subpoena requires Musk or another SpaceXAI representative to testify.
The Council said it has secured the first public testimony under oath from major AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta. Aside from Meta, the companies confirmed their attendance only after the Council’s explicit threat of subpoena, according to the release. SpaceXAI “has still not responded to the Council’s inquiry,” the Council said.
Menin sent letters to the five companies between Sept. 15 and 17 asking them to testify voluntarily, and Meta confirmed that a member of its senior leadership would appear, the Council said. At the Council’s Sept. 25 deadline, Google and Anthropic declined, and Menin authorized subpoenas to all of them as of 9 a.m. Monday. OpenAI and Google agreed to appear on Sunday, and Anthropic confirmed late Sunday night, “just hours before the subpoena was due to be served,” according to the release.
The testimony will take place at a rare Committee of the Whole hearing with all 51 Council members. In a letter to Musk cited by CNBC, Menin wrote that the investigation “will assess whether fast-emerging risks to public safety, cybersecurity, economic stability, privacy, consumers and businesses warrant immediate legislative action to protect New Yorkers.” The Council said the hearing will also review proposed bills, including a whistleblower incentive program, a private right of action for New Yorkers harmed by AI agents and independent third-party validation requirements.
“Given the high stakes, these firms owe it to the public to come before the Council, answer our questions, and provide input on our proposed legislation under oath,” Menin said in the release. The Council said the hearing “comes after weeks of serious warnings from whistleblowers and AI executives, and reports that rogue AI agents have already inflicted damage to government databases.”
The Council said it may seek judicial enforcement in New York State Supreme Court if SpaceXAI does not comply. City & State reported that the Council could then seek further relief such as civil contempt sanctions, according to the speaker’s team, and that this is the first time Menin has used the body’s subpoena power.
SpaceXAI did not immediately respond to City & State’s request for comment. CNBC noted that SpaceXAI faces lawsuits over images made with its Grok chatbot, including claims by the city of Baltimore that it deceptively marketed Grok’s image tool as generally safe.
Sources
- [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/28/elon-musk-spacexai-subpoenaed-by-nyc-in-ai-safety-investigation.html)
- [New York City Council](https://council.nyc.gov/press/2026/09/28/3266/)
- [City & State New York](https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2026/09/city-council-has-subpoenaed-elon-musks-spacexai/416266/)