Part 4:

OpenAI Co-Founder Testifies: Fears of Physical Attack in Musk Showdown

In a dramatic turn during the ongoing legal battle over the future of OpenAI, co-founder and former President Greg Brockman took the stand to detail a harrowing 2017 meeting with early backer Elon Musk. Brockman testified that during a heated negotiation regarding ownership stakes and control of the for-profit arm, he genuinely feared Musk was about to physically assault him.

“I truly thought he was going to physically attack me,” Brockman stated on the fifth day of the trial, according to reports from NBC News and Wired.

The incident, stemming from a fundamental dispute over the company’s direction, highlights the intense personal and business conflict between two of the most powerful figures in the tech world.

The For-Profit Divide: A Battle for Control and Compute

The deep-rooted disagreement at the heart of the trial revolves around OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit research lab to a for-profit entity. Brockman testified that the co-founders realized they needed significantly more capital—billions of dollars (หลายพันล้าน)—to secure the computing power required for advanced AI development.

Musk, who had initially pledged significant funding, was reportedly angered by the plan to create a for-profit arm. Brockman stated Musk insisted on retaining majority control of the company, a demand that Brockman and other co-founders believed would create a “dictatorship” over the future of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

“He said he had experienced what it was like to not have control and he didn’t like it,” Brockman quoted Musk as saying, adding that Musk claimed he needed “$80 billion to create a city on Mars.”

A Timeline of Tension

• The “Buttering Up” Phase: Ahead of the critical meeting, Musk gifted Brockman and Ilya Sutskever new Tesla Model 3 cars. Brockman testified this felt like an attempt to make them feel indebted. In return, Sutskever presented Musk with a painting of a Tesla.
• The “Haunted Mansion” Retreat: Just weeks earlier, Musk hosted the team at a mansion he had recently purchased, indicating a period of intense relationship management.
• The Explosive Meeting: When the co-founders presented their plan for shared control, Musk allegedly rejected it, declaring he would withhold funding. He then stood up, stormed around the table, and according to Brockman, appeared ready to strike.
• The Aftermath: Instead of a physical confrontation, Musk grabbed the painting Sutskever had given him and stormed out. Brockman and the team subsequently considered voting Musk off the board in 2017, though he left voluntarily in 2018.

Business Impact: The Real Cost of AI Leadership

This testimony underscores a critical business reality: the immense financial and power dynamics at play in the race for AI supremacy. The need for compute, which Brockman cited as the primary driver for seeking for-profit status, represents the single largest operational expense for companies like OpenAI. The struggle for control over this resource—and the decision-making power that comes with it—was the fundamental fissure that split two of the industry’s founding fathers.

The trial reveals that the path to creating a hit product like ChatGPT was not purely scientific but was paved with high-stakes boardroom battles, personal gifts, and threats of funding withdrawal. Brockman’s personal journal entry, wondering how to “get out from Elon” financially, highlights the immense pressure innovators face when their vision requires capital from a powerful, single-source investor.

Ultimately, the story is about the clash between a visionary needing absolute autonomy (Musk) and a team seeking a democratic, shared future for a technology that could reshape the world. The outcome of this trial could set a significant precedent for how future AI companies are governed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What was the main reason for the conflict between Elon Musk and the OpenAI co-founders?
  The conflict stemmed from a disagreement over the control and financial structure of OpenAI. The co-founders wanted to create a for-profit arm to raise billions of dollars for computing power, which they believed was necessary for developing advanced AI. Musk insisted on having majority control, which Brockman and others feared would create a “dictatorship” over the future of AI.

• Did Elon Musk physically attack Greg Brockman?
  No. Brockman testified that he genuinely feared Musk was about to physically attack him during a heated 2017 meeting, but Musk ultimately grabbed a painting and left the room without any physical contact.

Sources

• Wired – Greg Brockman Testifies