“I Thought He Was Going to Hit Me”: Greg Brockman’s Explosive Testimony in Musk v. OpenAI
In a dramatic second week of the Musk v. OpenAI trial, OpenAI President Greg Brockman took the stand in early May 2026 to push back against Elon Musk’s allegations of fraud and “charity theft.” The testimony, delivered in an Oakland, California courthouse, painted a picture of a volatile 2017 power struggle that nearly turned physical.
The trial is the culmination of Musk’s lawsuit aimed at forcing OpenAI to revert to a non-profit and alleging that Sam Altman and Brockman “stole” the foundation he helped fund.
The “Hit” That Never Happened: The 2017 Confrontation
The most striking moment of the testimony occurred when Brockman described a meeting at Musk’s estate in August 2017.
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The Conflict: Brockman and co-founder Ilya Sutskever had proposed a structure where Musk would have less than 50% equity.
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The Reaction: Brockman testified that Musk was “infuriated,” remaining silent for several minutes before erupting. “I actually thought he was going to hit me,” Brockman told the jury, describing Musk as “storming around the table” and demanding absolute control.
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The Motivations: According to Brockman, Musk claimed he needed “absolute authority” over AI because he “needed $80 billion to create a city on Mars.”
The “Secret” Diary: “Making Money Sounds Great”
Musk’s legal team, led by Steven Molo, countered by introducing Brockman’s personal diary entries from 2017 as evidence of greed.
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Financial Ambition: In one entry, Brockman asked himself, “Financially, what will take me to $1B?”
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The “Moral” Dilemma: Another entry read: “It’d be wrong to steal the non-profit from him [Musk]… that’d be pretty morally bankrupt.”
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The Defense: Brockman argued these were “stream-of-consciousness” thoughts and that wanting a revenue plan for a company requiring billions in compute power was a practical necessity, not evidence of a “bait-and-switch.”
The Disclosed $30 Billion Stake
For the first time, the trial made public the sheer scale of Brockman’s personal wealth tied to OpenAI.
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The Valuation: Brockman confirmed that his current stake in OpenAI is valued at approximately $30 billion.
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The “Family Office” Deal: Musk’s lawyers also highlighted a 2017 arrangement where Sam Altman allegedly gave Brockman a $10 million stake in Altman’s personal family office—a deal Musk claims was used to “buy” Brockman’s loyalty and hide the for-profit pivot from him.
Musk’s Alleged “Most Hated Men” Warning
Just before the trial began, OpenAI’s lawyers attempted to enter a text message from Musk into evidence as proof of “personal revenge.”
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The Message: Musk reportedly told Brockman, “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America.”
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The Ruling: Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied the request to show the message to the jury, stating the defense should have raised it while Musk himself was on the stand the previous week.
What’s Next?
The trial is now moving toward its climax. Sam Altman—who has transitioned from Musk’s protégé to his bitterest rival—is expected to take the stand the week of May 11, 2026. If the judge ultimately sides with Musk, it could jeopardize OpenAI’s planned IPO and force a massive restructuring of the world’s most valuable AI firm.