OpenAI court hearing: Brockman testified that Musk once said he wouldn’t prioritize safety, and that equity talks could turn violent

According to a report by the New York Post on May 6, OpenAI CEO Greg Brockman testified in court on May 5 at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland, disclosing Musk’s all-hands remarks when he stepped down from OpenAI’s board in 2018, saying that when pushing AI at Tesla, he would “not spend time on safety,” and that in 2017 he had a risky negotiation with OpenAI co-founder over equity stakes.

Brockman discloses Musk’s 2018 all-hands remarks and employee recruitment

Based on Brockman’s testimony, Musk said in his 2018 all-hands speech: “If the sheep are making safety rules and the wolves are not constrained, then none of it matters.”

Brockman also disclosed in court that Musk had made several OpenAI employees work for free for months for Tesla Autopilot’s self-driving team, helping restructure its technical plan; and during the first week of his testimony in the trial, Musk repeatedly emphasized the time and resources he invested in OpenAI, making no mention of the alleged reverse recruitment described above.

Equity dispute in 2017 and details of a heated meeting

According to the New York Post, Brockman described in court a heated meeting in 2017 between OpenAI co-founder and Musk to negotiate equity stakes. Brockman testified that during the meeting, Musk gifted Tesla cars to him and others including Ilya Sutskever; Brockman believed this was Musk “trying to curry favor with us,” so that the co-founders would be “grateful to him.”

Based on Brockman’s testimony, after the OpenAI co-founders refused Musk’s request to obtain majority equity in the company, Musk became emotional. Brockman quoted Musk as saying at the time: “He said he had experienced what it feels like to lose control, and he didn’t like that feeling. He said he needed $80 billion to build a city on Mars.”

Brockman said in court: “He stood up, walked around the table in big strides. I was sitting by the painting, genuinely thinking he was going to hit me. Turns out, he just grabbed the painting and stormed out of the room.” Brockman also testified that Musk subsequently threatened to stop providing funding and rejected Brockman’s proposal for equal co-founder equity and any claim that no one should control powerful AI.

Musk’s lawsuit claims and the dispute over Brockman’s diary

According to the New York Post, Musk’s lawsuit alleges that Brockman, Sam Altman, and OpenAI violated the company’s charitable mission, seeks $150 billion in damages, and asks the court to order that Altman be removed from OpenAI’s board of directors and to unwind the company’s for-profit structure adopted last year.

According to the New York Post, Musk’s lawyers cross-examined Brockman’s 2017 diary during the trial. In the diary, Brockman wrote: “From a financial perspective, what would make it so I can reach a billion dollars?” and “We’ve been considering that maybe we should pivot to being a for-profit company. Making money for us sounds great.” Brockman responded in court: “Getting the job done has always been my main motivation, and that’s still true today.” The defense said in court that the diary was intended to show that Musk had participated in and supported discussions about for-profit enterprises, and that Musk’s lawsuit is driven by “sour grapes” mentality.

Frequently asked questions

When did Brockman testify? How is the trial progressing?

According to a May 6, 2026 report by the New York Post, Greg Brockman testified on May 5 at the Oakland U.S. District Court, and the trial in Musk v. OpenAI is currently entering its second week.

What are the details of the 2018 all-hands remarks by Musk and the employee recruitment disclosed by Brockman?

Based on Brockman’s testimony, in his 2018 all-hands speech, Musk said that when pushing AI at Tesla, “he wouldn’t spend time on safety,” and that the top priority was to catch up with Google DeepMind. At the same time, Brockman disclosed that Musk had had several OpenAI employees work for Tesla Autopilot for free for months.

What are the lawsuit claims and damages demands in Musk’s case against OpenAI?

According to the New York Post, Musk seeks $150 billion in damages and asks the court to order Altman to step down from OpenAI’s board of directors and to unwind the company’s for-profit structure, with the lawsuit alleging that OpenAI management violated the company’s charitable mission.