Particle.news
Download on the App Store
67 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Brockman’s $30 Billion Stake and 2017 Musk Clash Define Week Two of OpenAI Trial

The outcome could reorder OpenAI’s leadership, with an IPO at risk.

Image
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (right) and OpenAI president Greg Brockman arriving at the federal court in Oakland, California, last week. Billionaire Elon Musk, who also helped cofound OpenAI, is suing the two OpenAI cofounders and executives, claiming they breached a charitable trust when they restructured OpenAI and pivoted away from being primarily a non-profit research lab.
Sam Altman, center, and OpenAI president Greg Brockman, right, arrive at the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman walks at the courthouse during a recess of the trial in Elon Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S., May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo

Overview

  • Greg Brockman told the court Monday that his OpenAI stake is worth nearly $30 billion and said he neither invested personal cash nor fulfilled a $100,000 donation he once pledged.
  • He disclosed money ties to Sam Altman, including a share of Altman’s family fund and stakes in Altman‑backed startups Cerebras and Helion Energy.
  • In testimony Tuesday, Brockman said a 2017 meeting grew so heated over control of a proposed for‑profit arm that he thought Elon Musk would hit him.
  • On Wednesday, jurors heard recorded remarks from former tech chief Mira Murati saying Sam Altman sowed “chaos” and distrust inside OpenAI, while ex‑board member Shivon Zilis took the stand.
  • The advisory jury will weigh liability next, after which Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers could order removals or clawbacks that may disrupt OpenAI’s plans to go public.