Tesla founder Elon Musk recently filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of abandoning its original non-profit mission. According to the latest complaint, Musk has also added multiple defendants, including Microsoft, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and former OpenAI board member and Microsoft senior executive D. Templeton.
Image source note: Image generated by AI, licensed from Midjourney
This lawsuit was filed in a district court in California, and the complaint also includes new plaintiffs, including executives from Neuralink and former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, as well as Musk's AI company xAI. Musk's lawyers pointed out that OpenAI was originally established by Musk as an independent charitable organization focused on safety and transparency; however, under the guidance of current CEO Sam Altman and his team, OpenAI is gradually becoming a profit-making subsidiary of Microsoft.
The complaint states that OpenAI is attempting to eliminate competition by forcing investors to commit not to fund competitors, such as Musk's xAI. The lawyers argue that in just eight years, OpenAI has transformed from a tax-exempt charity into a profit-making company valued at $157 billion, which is unprecedented. This transformation violates nearly all legal principles related to economic activities, including lies to donors, members, markets, regulators, and the public.
According to the revised complaint, Zilis has been identified as a "victimized employee" under California corporate law due to her close relationship with Musk. She served as a project lead at Tesla from 2017 to 2019 and has worked in research at Neuralink. The complaint further accuses Altman and his team of collaborating with Microsoft for personal gain, establishing a network of opaque profit-making OpenAI subsidiaries that detract from OpenAI's intellectual property, employees, and the good reputation built on Musk's name and contributions.
Although Musk has expressed recognition of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, he believes that Microsoft's values do not align with those of OpenAI. Musk is concerned about the potential threats of artificial intelligence to humanity, advocating for decentralized and open technology, while Nadella and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates regard Musk's concerns as "panic," believing such issues are far from reality.
As of now, Microsoft has not responded to this revised complaint.
Key Points:
🌟 Musk accuses OpenAI in the lawsuit of straying from its original non-profit mission, gradually becoming a profit-making subsidiary of Microsoft.
📉 The complaint states that OpenAI is attempting to eliminate market competition by restricting investors from funding competitors.
💼 New plaintiffs include Neuralink executive Zilis, who is considered a victim due to her close ties with Musk.