Elon Musk Threatens to Strike OpenAI Co-founder Greg Brockman Over Control Dispute
OpenAI president Greg Brockman has detailed a volatile 2017 encounter with Elon Musk, recounting how the billionaire’s demeanour shifted dramatically when Brockman rejected his proposition for increased control over the artificial intelligence company. Brockman, a co-founder and a defendant in Musk's lawsuit challenging OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit entity, told a jury in Oakland federal court, "I actually thought he was going to hit me."
The meeting concluded abruptly, with Musk reportedly declaring his intention to cease funding OpenAI, which he had supported since its inception in 2015. This testimony marks the second week of a month-long trial pitting Musk against OpenAI’s primary founder and chief executive, Sam Altman. The legal dispute reflects a protracted rivalry that has intensified since Musk's departure from OpenAI, particularly as the company, through products like ChatGPT, has ascended to become a leading global technology enterprise.
Brockman further recounted Musk's earlier efforts to consolidate power within OpenAI, including attempts to flatter Brockman and co-founder Ilya Sutskever. Evidence presented in court included August 2017 text messages between Sutskever and Brockman, which read: "Will a Model 3 make you be willing to accept massively unfavourable terms?"
Central to Brockman's testimony is the assertion that Musk was fully aware of OpenAI’s strategic pivot towards a more conventional for-profit business model. The company, initially established as a non-profit, subsequently introduced a for-profit division to attract significant investment, ultimately prioritising this commercial arm last year.
The court expects to hear from former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, who is the mother of four of Musk’s children. Brockman stated that Zilis had informed him of her twins, though he later discovered Musk was the father through public reports. When questioned about Zilis’s continued involvement with OpenAI after Musk’s departure, Brockman affirmed, "We trusted her to keep the Elon conflict under control." Zilis subsequently resigned from the board in March 2023, coinciding with Musk’s launch of xAI, an AI firm directly competing with OpenAI's ChatGPT.
