Elon Musk Sues OpenAI and Ex-Partners Again, Alleges He Was 'Manipulated' into Co-Founding the Company
Elon Musk has reignited his legal conflict with OpenAI, filing a new lawsuit against the artificial intelligence company and its key figures, CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman. This lawsuit, lodged in federal court in Northern California, comes nearly two months after Musk withdrew a similar case from state court. The renewed legal action amplifies Musk's previous claims and introduces allegations of racketeering, intensifying the scrutiny on OpenAI’s operations.
Musk's relationship with Sam Altman and Greg Brockman dates back to the founding of OpenAI in December 2015. Initially, Musk was a major supporter and significant investor in OpenAI, aiming to foster a nonprofit research organization focused on artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, he now accuses the company of deviation from its original mission and alleges he was “manipulated” by Altman and Brockman into co-founding the company.
Musk’s legal action against OpenAI centers on his dissatisfaction with the company’s shift from a non-profit to a capped-profit model, along with its commercialization and partnership with Microsoft. He contends that these changes contradict OpenAI’s initial purpose of advancing safe and ethical AI development for the public good.
The lawsuit claims that, under Sam Altman’s leadership, OpenAI has moved away from its public-serving principles towards a focus on "self-enrichment." Musk points to the organization’s lucrative partnership with Microsoft as evidence of this transformation, which he argues has turned OpenAI from a charitable initiative into a profit-driven enterprise. The complaint characterizes this shift as "perfidy and deceit of Shakespearean proportions," alleging that OpenAI’s actions are a betrayal of its foundational goals.
The lawsuit seeks substantial remedies, including a “judicial determination” that nullifies OpenAI’s licensing agreement with Microsoft and demands a "constructive trust" on the assets derived from Musk's contributions.
