Musk wanted $80 billion to colonise Mars, helped to turn OpenAI 'for profit': OpenAI president

Musk left OpenAI’s board in Feb 2018

Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, has testified in court against Elon Musk, claiming the billionaire sought full control of the AI firm partly to fund ambitions of colonising Mars.

The testimony came during the second week of a high-stakes trial in California that could shape the future of OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT platform.

Brockman told the court that Musk pushed in 2017 for OpenAI to transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure, arguing that raising the vast sums needed for advanced AI development would be difficult under a charitable model. According to Brockman, Musk made it clear he wanted to lead the company if that shift occurred.

“He said he needed $80 billion to create a city on Mars,” Brockman testified, adding that Musk ultimately wanted full control and intended to decide when to relinquish it.

He also described a tense 2017 meeting where Musk rejected a proposed equity structure outright. Brockman said Musk abruptly stood up and moved toward him so quickly it caused alarm, before instead grabbing a painting belonging to Ilya Sutskever—a gift created to thank Musk for providing Tesla resources to OpenAI staff—and leaving the room.

Brockman further alleged that Musk threatened to withhold future funding until the dispute was resolved.

Musk is currently suing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing them of misleading him into donating $38 million to the nonprofit before shifting away from its original mission for financial gain. He is seeking $150 billion in damages and wants both Altman and Brockman removed from leadership roles.

Musk departed OpenAI’s board in February 2018. The company later restructured into a for-profit entity in March 2019 and has since raised more than $100 billion, with reports suggesting it is considering a potential $1 trillion IPO.