Key Takeaways:
- Greg Brockman revealed his stake is worth close to $30 billion, fueled by OpenAI’s latest $852 billion valuation.
- Musk’s lawyer, Steven Molo, compared the co-founder’s profit-taking to “robbing a bank” before the judge struck the remark.
- OpenAI attorneys attempted to admit a text from Musk warning that Brockman and Sam Altman would become “the most hated men in America.”
Elon Musk’s lawyer challenged Greg Brockman over his nearly $30 billion stake Monday in Oakland, questioning whether it conflicts with OpenAI’s nonprofit mission as a high-stakes trial unfolds.
Lawyer Questions Stake’s Alignment With Nonprofit Mission
Brockman, president and co-founder of OpenAI, testified on the fourth day of a trial stemming from Musk’s lawsuit against him and CEO Sam Altman. Musk alleges the company unlawfully shifted from a nonprofit to a profit-driven model.
During cross-examination, Musk’s attorney Steven Molo repeatedly highlighted Brockman’s nearly $30 billion equity stake. He questioned whether such wealth aligns with OpenAI’s mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
“You just happen to be $30 billion richer?” Molo asked.
“Compensation was certainly secondary to the mission,” Brockman responded, maintaining that the organization’s goals remain unchanged despite attracting outside investment.
At one point, Molo compared Brockman’s role to “a guy who robs a bank,” prompting U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to strike the remark as argumentative.
Greg Brockman Defends Structure, Says Mission Remains Intact
Brockman testified that he received his stake in 2018, before OpenAI achieved commercial success with products like ChatGPT. He said the grant came from the board and that he did not participate in the vote.
He emphasized that OpenAI remains governed by a nonprofit foundation, while its for-profit arm operates as a public-benefit corporation required to balance public good with shareholder interests.
“All co-founders, including Elon, wanted some form of a for-profit structure,” Brockman said, adding that disagreements centered on implementation rather than principle.
Brockman also noted that Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018 and stopped financial contributions in 2017. “That is something that we’ve built through blood, sweat, and tears, during all these years since Elon left,” he said.
The testimony revealed that OpenAI began in Brockman’s San Francisco apartment and has since grown into one of the world’s most valuable AI organizations, recently valued at $852 billion.
Trial Highlights Broader Debate Over AI Wealth and Ethics
The case could reshape OpenAI’s structure and influence the broader artificial intelligence industry, as it raises questions about governance, ethics, and wealth accumulation in cutting-edge technology firms.
Molo pressed Greg Brockman on whether his financial motivations conflicted with OpenAI’s founding ideals, citing a 2017 journal entry in which Brockman wrote, “Financially, what will take me to $1B?”
Brockman reiterated that financial gain was not his primary goal. “I believe that we have developed the most well-capitalized nonprofit in human history,” he said.
Molo also asked whether Brockman should return most of his wealth to the nonprofit arm. Brockman declined, saying, “That’s not how I think about it.”
The trial has drawn attention for featuring prominent tech figures and could set precedents for how hybrid nonprofit and for-profit models operate in the fast-growing AI sector.
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