Musk 'was going to hit me,' OpenAI executive says at trial

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California: In a courtroom testimony, OpenAI President Greg Brockman told a California jury that Elon Musk physically threatened him during a 2017 confrontation. Speaking on the second day of his appearance, Brockman claimed he genuinely believed Musk ‘was going to hit me’ after the billionaire was refused absolute control of the AI company.

The testimony is part of a high-stakes legal battle where Musk accuses OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman of abandoning their nonprofit roots. Musk alleges his $38 million founding donation was misappropriated to build a commercial giant now valued at over $850 billion.

OpenAI’s legal team, however, argues that Musk left voluntarily to start a competitor, xAI, and was fully aware of the shift toward a for-profit structure.

Brockman also addressed his private diary entries, which Musk’s lawyers used to portray him as opportunistic. He defended the writings as ‘deeply personal’ but not shameful. 

Highlighting the industry's massive growth, Brockman noted that OpenAI’s computing costs have skyrocketed from $30 million in 2017 to $50 billion today, justifying the need for a profit-driven model to sustain the technology. Sam Altman is expected to take the stand as early as next week.

Photo Credits: AFP, Wikipedia