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Brockman Says Musk Sought Control in Week Two of OpenAI Trial

The testimony is set to shape a late‑May ruling that could derail OpenAI’s IPO plans.

Overview

  • Greg Brockman used Tuesday’s counter‑interrogation to depict Elon Musk as pushing for absolute control of OpenAI, recounting Tesla car offers to key staff and a tense meeting where he says he feared being hit.
  • Following Monday’s questioning, Musk’s lawyer read from Brockman’s 2017 journal and emails to argue he chased personal gain, and Brockman acknowledged a paper stake in OpenAI valued around $30 billion.
  • Musk’s lawsuit asks the court to force OpenAI back to a nonprofit, remove Sam Altman and Brockman from leadership, and unwind what he calls misuse of his $38 million in donations.
  • OpenAI argues a commercial arm was needed to fund safe AI research at scale, pointing to Brockman’s claim that compute spending rose from about $30 million in 2017 to $50 billion this year.
  • The advisory jury’s view will inform Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’s decision later in May, with Altman expected to testify next week and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella listed as a possible witness that could speak to funding ties.