Court Exhibit·31 JAN 2018
Turn Your Mission Into A Moat
When you can't outspend competitors, out-trust them — moral high ground is a strategic asset, not a slogan.
Source document — Musk v. Altman (OpenAI) — Docket 351-47 · Musk v. Altman (OpenAI) · 4:24-cv-04722 (CAND), Doc. 379-79, filed 2026-01-06
Excerpt · In Greg Brockman's own words
My view is that the best future will come from a major expansion of OpenAI. Our goal and mission are fundamentally correct, and that will increasingly be a superpower as AGI grows near.
Our fundraising conversations show that Ilya and I are able to convince reputable people that AGI can really happen in the next <=10 years, there's appetite for donations from those people, and there's very large appetite for investments from those people.
Over the next 3 years, we must build 3 things: Custom AI hardware, a massive AI data center, and the best software team, mixing between algorithm development, public demonstrations, and safety. We also have identified a small but finite number of limitations in today's deep learning which are barriers to learning from human levels of experience. And we believe we uniquely are on trajectory to solving safety (at least in broad strokes) in the next three years.
Our biggest tool is the moral high ground. To retain this, we must try our best to remain a non-profit — AI is going to shake up the fabric of society, and our fiduciary duty should be to humanity. We need to communicate a 'better red than dead' outlook — we're trying to build safe AGI, and we're not willing to destroy the world in a down-to-the-wire race to do so. We must also engage with government to provide trusted, unbiased policy advice, and be perceived as a place that provides public good to the research community.
The daily letter · Free
This edition is for members — but the daily letter is free.
One real corporate email, and the lesson it teaches, in your inbox every weekday morning. Free. Unsubscribe in one click.
How this surfaced
- Source type
- Court Exhibit
- Case / record
- Musk v. Altman (OpenAI)
- Citation
- 4:24-cv-04722 (CAND), Doc. 379-79, filed 2026-01-06
- Date authored
- January 31, 2018
- License
- Public domain
- Original
- View the primary source →
More from Elon Musk
Elon Musk & Ilya Sutskever ·OpenAI ·18 FEB 2016
When A Rival Leaps Ahead, Change Your Cadence
A single alarming data point should reset how often your leadership team talks, not just what they talk about.
Ilya Sutskever ·OpenAI ·12 JUL 2017
Turn A Research Problem Into A Capital Problem
When you can't invent the answer, buy the conditions under which the answer becomes findable.
Sam Altman ·OpenAI ·6 MAR 2019
Design The Structure Before You Need The Money
When your mission and your capital needs collide, invent the vehicle first — then go raise.
Shanna Velez & Mike Marchak & Purnima Kochikar & Alyssa Ablao & Josh Kim & Randy Gelber ·Google ·15 DEC 2021
Discounts Are Cheaper Than Exceptions to Your Pricing Rule
When you can't grant a carveout, invent a program — same economics, but the rule stays intact.
Don ·Google ·14 MAR 2023
Bundle Deals Across Divisions to Save a Weak Position
When one business unit can't justify the check alone, stack the strategic value across the whole company — or lose the partner entirely.
Karen Aviram Beatty & Lawrence Koh ·Google ·11 DEC 2019
Bundling Deals Can Backfire When Your Counterparty Wants Simplicity
When you stack asks to justify a payment, the other side sees complexity — and offers you a simpler exit.