During the ongoing high-stakes trial between Elon Musk and OpenAI, the company’s co-founder and president, Greg Brockman, spent two days reading aloud from a private journal he had kept for himself since 2010. These diary entries are now considered as some of the most compelling evidence in Musk’s lawsuit against the company.
Brockman, who co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk and Sam Altman in 2015, described the experience as “very painful.” The roughly 100-page digital journal, which he never wanted the world to see, consists of his thoughts during critical moments in the company’s early years. The diary contained accounts of tensions with Musk and discussions about OpenAI’s shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure.
The $1 billion entry
One of the most scrutinised passages, dated August 21, 2017, and entered as Exhibit 161, captured Brockman reflecting on his ambitions: “Ok so what do I really want? This is the only chance we have to get out from Elon… Financially what will take me to $1B?”
Musk’s lead attorney, Steven Molo, repeatedly pushed Brockman on why he hadn’t donated the difference between that $1 billion figure and his current roughly $30 billion stake in OpenAI back to the nonprofit. Brockman responded by highlighting the “blood, sweat, and tears” he and the team invested after Musk departed in 2018.
Another key entry in November 2017 written ahead of a crucial meeting with Musk, stated: “cannot say that we are committed to the non-profit… If three months later we’re doing b-corp then it was a lie… the true answer is that we want him out.” Brockman also noted it would be “morally bankrupt” to convert the company without Musk.
“Chain of thought” reasoning
During cross-examination by Musk’s team and later under questioning from OpenAI’s lawyers, Brockman explained that his journaling style was a form of “chain of thought”, similar to how AI models reason through problems. He said he often wrote out different perspectives, including opposing views, to process his thinking, which sometimes made entries appear contradictory.
He emphasised that the controversial lines referred to hypothetical scenarios and that Musk ultimately left OpenAI voluntarily in February 2018 after demanding full control and being turned down.
Dramatic early meetings and the “Haunted Mansion”
The testimony also revealed tense moments from 2017, including a meeting at a property Brockman described as Musk’s “haunted mansion.” Musk reportedly gifted co-founders Tesla Model 3 cars and pushed aggressively for control of the for-profit arm. When resisted, Musk allegedly stormed out with a peace-offering painting of a Tesla, asking when the others planned to quit.
Musk’s lawsuit accuses Altman and Brockman of betraying OpenAI’s original nonprofit mission, which he helped seed with around $38–50 million, by turning it into a “wealth machine.” He is seeking billions in damages and to unwind OpenAI’s for-profit transition. OpenAI maintains it has stayed true to its mission of safe AGI development while operating in a competitive landscape.