OpenAI’s co-founder and president, Greg Brockman, took the stand on Monday in a federal court, revealing he is one of the largest individual shareholders in the AI lab, with his equity stake valued between $20 billion and $30 billion. This declaration comes just days before the high-profile trial between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was set to commence.
Before the trial, Musk inquired about a settlement with Brockman but was met with Brockman’s counter-proposal for both parties to drop their claims. Musk ominously stated, “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so be it," hinting at a strategy aimed at both winning the jurors and tarnishing the reputations of Brockman and Altman.
During the hearings, Musk’s attorney, Steven Molo, grilled Brockman regarding his compensation and the ethical implications of his wealth accumulation. Although Brockman had initially pledged a donation of $100,000 to OpenAI during its inception, he admitted to never fulfilling this promise. He emphasized that despite his financial interests, OpenAI’s nonprofit mission remained his priority.
Brockman testified about his expansive role since the company was launched in 2015 from his San Francisco apartment. He highlighted that OpenAI’s foundation now holds a stake worth over $150 billion, making it one of the wealthiest nonprofits in history, significantly more than his own share. He also pointed out that the foundation received less than $150 million from donors, positioning Musk as not the primary factor in OpenAI’s financial success.
The courtroom drama intensified as Molo attempted to portray Brockman and Altman as having exploited OpenAI’s original nonprofit vision for personal gain. Brockman succinctly defended his dedication, stating that he and his colleagues invested significant effort into developing the company after Musk’s departure from the board, where he had threatened to build a competing AI lab at Tesla.
As further questioning continued, Brockman was evasive when asked about his responsibility to donate his significant wealth back to the nonprofit. He remarked that their work over the years amounted to "blood, sweat, and tears."
The trial is ongoing, with Brockman’s testimonies shedding light on OpenAI’s past and present, as well as Musk’s intentions to undermine the leadership of both Brockman and Altman.
