OpenAI president forced to read his personal diary entries to jury

Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, endured a painful public testimony in Elon Musk's lawsuit, forced to read excerpts from his personal journal — a 100-page stream-of-consciousness document he never intended to share. Musk's legal team highlighted a 2017 entry where Brockman wrote, “we’ve been thinking that maybe we should just flip to a for-profit. Making the money for us sounds great and all,” and mused about a $1 billion career goal. Brockman's current stake in OpenAI is worth roughly $30 billion. Musk's attorney, Steven Molo, likened Brockman to a “bank robber” who downplays theft of $1 million when more remains. Brockman countered that the journal reflects exploration of opposing viewpoints, not literal intentions, and that he received his stake before ChatGPT's launch. The trial stems from Musk's allegation that OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission for personal enrichment.

Despite the embarrassing revelations, Brockman maintained he is committed to OpenAI's original mission and noted he helped build the best-funded nonprofit in the world. The proceedings underscore the tension between OpenAI's founding charter and its massive commercial success. Brockman's testimony aimed to reframe the journal entries as careful deliberation rather than greed. The trial has drawn attention to the internal conflicts among OpenAI's leadership, especially as Musk — an early co-founder — now seeks to prove the organization lost its way. The outcome could have implications for AI governance and nonprofit vs. for-profit structures in the tech industry.