OpenAI President Greg Brockman testified Tuesday in California that Elon Musk physically threatened him during a 2017 confrontation, saying, 'I actually thought he was going to hit me,' after Musk demanded absolute control of the organization and stormed out when refused. The testimony occurred during the second day of Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, in which Musk alleges the company violated its original nonprofit mission by shifting to a for-profit model and using his $38 million donation to build a business now valued above $850 billion.

Brockman said Musk announced his departure from OpenAI in February 2018, claiming Musk told staff he would pursue AI development at Tesla without safety constraints, quoting him as saying, 'If the sheep are dictating safety and the wolves are not, then there's no purpose.' OpenAI's legal team argued the timeline shows Musk was aware of the company's commercial pivot before leaving and that his 2024 lawsuit, filed after launching rival AI firm xAI, lacks merit.

Under cross-examination, Brockman defended personal diary entries cited by Musk's lawyers, stating the writings were private but that he was not ashamed of them. He noted OpenAI's annual computing costs have surged from $30 million in 2017 to $50 billion, underscoring the financial demands that necessitated the shift from a nonprofit structure.

Altman is scheduled to testify as early as next week, as the court continues to hear evidence in the high-stakes trial over OpenAI's origins and governance.