Elon Musk called Sam Altman “Scam Altman” on X as recently as Monday. Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president, has sparred with Musk online too. But now? Silence—at least on social media. The three tech titans agreed to stay off platforms like X during the high-stakes trial over OpenAI’s origins, according to The Information. Their pact aims to keep the courtroom focus sharp. No more public jabs. Just facts, witnesses, and a jury deciding if OpenAI betrayed its nonprofit roots.
The trial began Monday in Oakland federal court with jury selection. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers seated a nine-person panel. Opening statements followed Tuesday. Musk accuses Altman and Brockman of deceiving him into co-founding OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to safe, open AI for humanity. He claims they flipped it into a for-profit powerhouse valued at $852 billion, pocketing billions along the way. OpenAI calls it sour grapes from a rival whose xAI chatbot Grok competes with ChatGPT.
Musk ponied up millions early on. Nearly $45 million by some counts. He pushed for a $1 billion commitment. Left the board in 2018 after clashes. Now he wants Altman and Brockman ousted from their roles. He seeks to unwind OpenAI’s for-profit shift, including its October 2025 recapitalization. Damages? Up to $150 billion, though Musk says he’d redirect it to charity. Microsoft, with its $13 billion stake, faces claims of aiding the alleged scheme. The software giant denies it.
But the social media truce underscores the trial’s intensity. Musk’s lawyers highlighted a 2017 diary entry from Brockman. “This is the only chance we have to get out from Elon,” Brockman wrote, per court filings cited by USA Today. He questioned if Musk was the “glorious leader” he’d pick. Added: “Financially what will take me to $1B?” Brockman handed over the diary in March. He cried foul on X then. No more posts now.
From Friendly Founders to Courtroom Foes
Flash back to 2015. Musk, Altman, Brockman and others launched OpenAI to counter Google’s AI dominance. Nonprofit structure. Open-source tech. Benefits for all. Musk emailed in 2017: he’d had enough. Internal admissions showed fears of harming ties with Musk or Altman. By 2019, OpenAI created a for-profit arm for funding massive data centers. ChatGPT exploded in 2022. Valuation soared.
Altman and Brockman showed up Monday in court. Altman in a dark suit, light blue tie, scrolling his phone during jury selection. Musk arrived later. Protesters gathered outside, chanting “Whoever wins, we lose.” Potential jurors voiced biases. Judge Rogers noted: “The reality is that people don’t like him,” referring to Musk. Many felt the same about Altman, per Bloomberg coverage echoed in reports.
Witnesses include current and former OpenAI execs. Brockman testifies for 2.5 hours, maybe more. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gets one hour. Musk will take the stand. The case narrowed to breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims after Musk dropped fraud allegations pre-trial.
OpenAI eyes a public listing this year, possibly at $1 trillion. A win for Musk could derail that. Force a nonprofit revert. Strip leadership. OpenAI’s lawyers say Musk quit because he couldn’t control it. Wanted equity he didn’t get. Now competes via xAI, merged with SpaceX this year.
And that diary? Central. Musk’s team argues it proves deceit. Brockman wrote of escaping Musk’s terms to protect choice and economics. OpenAI counters: restructuring was necessary. AI costs billions. Nonprofit couldn’t compete.
Stakes Beyond the Billionaires
This isn’t just personal. It’s about AI’s path. Nonprofit altruism versus capitalist scale. Musk warns of unchecked power. Altman pushes boundaries. OpenAI dissolved its superalignment team—meant to guard against human extinction risks—allocating just 1-2% of compute, on old hardware. Safety grades? An F from the Future of Life Institute.
Court filings reveal tensions. Ilya Sutskever, ex-chief scientist, compiled memos on Altman’s patterns. Dario Amodei, Anthropic founder, noted pages on issues. Board fired Altman in 2023 over candor. He returned days later, backed by Microsoft. Purged dissenters.
Recent barbs persisted till the truce. Musk posted: “Scam Altman and Greg Stockman stole a charity. Full stop,” per CNBC. Altman and Brockman are “confident,” their lawyer William Savitt said post-jury pick. No X retorts now.
Jury’s role? Advisory on liability. Judge decides remedies. Trial runs through mid-May. Whatever the outcome, AI’s power struggle plays out live. Billionaires muted online. But the real fight? Just beginning in court.
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