OpenAI President Greg Brockman Testifies Musk Physically Threatened Him In 2017

OpenAI President Greg Brockman told a California jury that Tesla CEO Elon Musk physically threatened him during a tense 2017 confrontation inside the company’s early leadership discussions, according to testimony presented in court on Tuesday. The statement came during an ongoing legal battle in which Musk has accused OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of abandoning the organisation’s original nonprofit mission.

Brockman testified that the confrontation escalated after Musk was not granted absolute control over the artificial intelligence company. He told the jury that the atmosphere became so tense during the exchange that he believed Musk might physically attack him. “I actually thought he was going to hit me,” Brockman said in court, describing the moment as deeply unsettling.

The testimony is part of Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, where he argues that the company shifted away from its founding principles and transitioned into a for-profit model. Musk also claims that his initial $38 million contribution to the organisation was misused as OpenAI evolved into a company now valued at more than $850 billion. He has further alleged that the shift undermined the original intent of creating an open and safety-focused AI research body.

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OpenAI, however, has strongly disputed Musk’s claims. The company maintains that Musk voluntarily left after failing to gain majority control and has since become a competitor through his own artificial intelligence venture, xAI. OpenAI’s legal team argues that internal developments and Musk’s departure show he was aware of the company’s direction at the time.

During cross-examination, OpenAI attorney Sarah Eddy questioned Brockman about personal diary entries cited by Musk’s legal team. One entry referenced moral concerns over the company’s governance, though Brockman told the court that the writings were private reflections never intended for public disclosure and that he stood by his actions during OpenAI’s early development.

Brockman also addressed Musk’s 2018 departure announcement, testifying that Musk had expressed intentions to pursue artificial intelligence development through Tesla, including approaches that reportedly raised internal safety concerns. These statements were presented by OpenAI’s legal team to argue that Musk was fully aware of the company’s evolving structure.

The trial has also highlighted the financial transformation of OpenAI, with Brockman stating that the organisation’s annual computing costs have risen dramatically from around $30 million in 2017 to approximately $50 billion today, underscoring the scale of modern AI development.The case continues to unfold in California, with CEO Sam Altman expected to testify in the coming days as both sides present sharply conflicting accounts of OpenAI’s origins and evolution.

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