As the legal battle between OpenAI and its co-founder Elon Musk continues, CEO Greg Brockman revealed key details about the company's transformation period in 2017 during his court testimony in May 2026.

The core dispute stemmed from strategic differences regarding OpenAI's transition from a non-profit research lab to a for-profit entity. At that time, Musk demanded "absolute control" over the company and attempted to integrate OpenAI into Tesla's artificial intelligence system. Brockman noted that Musk expressed extreme dissatisfaction after his proposal was rejected, even temporarily halting his donations to the company's operating budget.

OpenAI

The testimony revealed several important milestones in OpenAI's early development: In August 2017, co-founders began discussing the establishment of a for-profit organization to raise substantial funds for AGI research; in February 2018, Musk officially left the board. After that, OpenAI established a for-profit company in 2019 and has secured more than $13 billion in investments from Microsoft.

Brockman emphasized in court that the technological breakthrough of the 2017 DOTA II model defeating human players made the team realize that computing power was the core barrier in building cutting-edge AI tools. Although Musk's side questioned the founding team for deviating from their non-profit mission and pursuing personal wealth, Brockman countered that the equity held by the non-profit parent company is now worth over $150 billion, which is a result of the team's independent achievements after Musk left.

This trial is not only a reckoning of personal grievances but also reflects the structural contradictions between idealistic visions and commercial realities in top AI laboratories. As the trial enters a critical phase, the transparency of OpenAI's early governance structure will provide important industry insights into the commercialization paths and regulatory frameworks for future AI companies.