Explosive Testimony Reveals Musk’s Bullying Tactic
In a dramatic courtroom revelation, former OpenAI president Greg Brockman testified that Elon Musk’s rage during a pivotal 2018 board meeting was so intense, he genuinely feared physical assault. Brockman stated, “I truly thought he was going to physically attack me,” after Musk demanded majority equity in the non-profit and was rejected by the founding team. This incident, emerging from the ongoing legal battle between Musk and Sam Altman over OpenAI’s direction, paints a damning picture of Musk’s approach: when he couldn’t force control, he threatened to pull the plug.
The Financial Chokehold That Reshaped AI History
Musk’s tantrum escalated beyond words. As he stormed out, he interrogated Brockman and co-founder Ilya Sutskever about their plans to leave, then delivered a blunt ultimatum: “I will withhold funding until you decide what you are going to do.” True to his word, Musk immediately halted the promised quarterly donations that OpenAI depended on, forcing the organization to pivot from a pure non-profit to a capped-profit model. This moment is widely seen as the flashpoint that led to OpenAI’s corporate restructure and, ultimately, the seismic competition between Musk’s xAI and Altman’s juggernaut.
Conflict of Interest and the Ethics of Founding Promises
The testimony underscores a critical hypocrisy in Musk’s lawsuit, which paints himself as a savior of open, safe AI. In reality, his attempted power grab would have centralized control in his hands, directly contradicting any pretense of open governance. The incident also highlights the dangerous fragility of relying on a single wealthy patron’s promises. For the AI community, this is a cautionary tale about unchecked power in foundational organizations. No CVEs were associated with this article.
Source: Theverge
