How Elon Musk’s Exit from OpenAI Unfolded According to Greg Brockman
5In 2017, OpenAI was just starting to grow from a small nonprofit research lab into a major player in artificial intelligence. Elon Musk, one of its co-founders, was heavily involved but also wanted full control over the organization’s future. A key moment in their story happened during a tense meeting that revealed the conflicts behind the scenes and set the stage for Musk’s eventual departure.
The Tense Meeting That Changed Everything
Back in August 2017, leaders at OpenAI met to discuss the organization’s future. The team was debating how to turn their nonprofit into a for-profit company to raise the money needed for ambitious AI goals. Elon Musk demanded complete control of the new company. To try and win support, co-founders gave Musk a Tesla Model 3, which CTO Greg Brockman saw as a way to flatter Musk at a time when he and Sam Altman were vying for influence.
The mood shifted when Musk was told the other founders wouldn’t give him total control. Brockman recalls that Musk became angry and upset. He sat quietly for a few minutes, then announced, “I decline.” Musk then stormed around the room, grabbing a painting of a Tesla that had been given to him as a friendly gesture. Just as he was about to leave, he asked Brockman and Sutskever when they would be leaving OpenAI, signaling his frustration with the situation.
The Aftermath and Musk’s Exit
Following that meeting, Musk stopped his regular donations to OpenAI and gradually distanced himself from the organization’s leadership. Within six months, he left the board, though he continued to support the company by paying for shared office space until 2020. Today, the legal battle over OpenAI’s direction revolves around this period, highlighting a major disagreement about control and vision.
Greg Brockman, who testified in the ongoing lawsuit, shared personal journal entries from that time, giving rare insight into what it was like to be a young tech executive dealing with Elon Musk’s strong personality. Brockman described the journal as deeply personal but said he’s not ashamed of what was written. These revelations offer a behind-the-scenes look at how intense startup politics can be, especially when a company’s future is as groundbreaking as OpenAI’s.
The conflict wasn’t just about control. OpenAI’s team believed that success in AI required significant compute resources, which led to discussions about creating a for-profit subsidiary. Musk wanted “unequivocal” control from the start, but the other founders preferred equal shares and even considered linking OpenAI to Tesla’s AI work. When Musk wasn’t granted control, the partnership unraveled, and plans to remove Musk from the board emerged, as Brockman’s journal entries reveal.
This internal strife became public at a critical moment, with Musk’s lawyers sharing a text message Musk sent to Brockman just before the trial: “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America.” The legal fight now involves accusations that Musk and the other founders had similar plans for controlling the organization, with each side trying to prove their version of events.
Ultimately, the disagreements centered around how to fund and control AI development. Brockman emphasized that the breakthrough in a game called DOTA II convinced the team that compute power was essential for advancing AI. Musk’s desire for full control clashed with the other founders’ belief in shared ownership, leading to a breakdown in their partnership and Musk’s exit.
Despite the turmoil, OpenAI continued to grow and push the boundaries of artificial intelligence. The story of Musk’s departure is a reminder of how personal and intense startup battles can be, especially when dealing with revolutionary technology. As the company evolves, the lessons from that pivotal moment continue to influence its direction and leadership decisions.
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