The feud between Elon Musk and his former AI start-up OpenAI is up and running again after Musk filed a second lawsuit against OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman accusing them of betrayal and deception.
Lawsuit 2.0
The tech world is experiencing a major case of deja vu, after Tesla CEO Elon Musk filed a new lawsuit against OpenAI, just two months after withdrawing his first lawsuit against the research company behind ChatGPT.
Filed in Federal Court
Musk filed the lawsuit in Northern California federal court on Monday, against OpenAI and its co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman – the two men who established the artificial intelligence giant alongside Musk back in 2015.
The Same Claims from February
Despite only recently withdrawing his first lawsuit for reasons that are still unclear, Musk is renewing the same claims he made in February.
Betrayal Accusations
Musk has accused Altman and Brockman of betrayal. Essentially, betraying the founding principles of OpenAI by developing AI technology with the aim of making a profit, rather than for the benefit of humanity.
A “Textbook Tale”
The lawsuit describes the co-founder’s actions as a “textbook tale of altruism versus greed,” where defendants named in the suit knowingly mislead Musk as to the purpose of the company.
Musk Claims He Was “Courted and Deceived”
The defendants “intentionally courted and deceived Musk, preying on Musk’s humanitarian concern about the existential dangers posed by artificial intelligence,” according to the complaint.
“Shakespearean Proportions”
It also alleges that Musk was “betrayed by Altman and his accomplices. The perfidy and deceit are of Shakespearean proportions.”
Tens of Millions Invested
Musk has claimed that he spent $44 million to help launch the company in its first few years of existence, which he apparently would not have done had he known how the company would be managed in later years.
Microsoft Partnership
Drawing on the same claims in his previous lawsuit, the 83-page filing pointed to a partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft, which radically changed the “original mission” of the AI company.
Profiteering and Selfish Motives
“In partnership with Microsoft, Altman established an opaque web of for-profit OpenAI affiliates, engaged in rampant self-dealing, seized OpenAI, Inc.’s Board, and systematically drained the non-profit of its valuable technology and personnel,” the lawsuit reads.
OpenAI Responds
A spokesperson for OpenAI responded to the lawsuit filing in a dismissive email statement referring reporters to their response to Musk’s previous lawsuit.
His Emails “Speak for Themselves”
“As we said about Elon’s initial legal filing, which was subsequently withdrawn, Elon’s prior emails continue to speak for themselves,” the email reads.
Back in March, OpenAI responded to Musk’s first filing by calling his claims “incoherent” and “frivolous.” They took their response even further by publishing a blog post on the official website, accusing Musk of pushing to make OpenAI a for-profit company back in 2017.
Damning Email Correspondence
This included detailed email correspondence from Musk where he called for a “for-profit pivot” and pursued “majority equity, initial board control, and to be CEO.”
Resignation in 2018
The Tesla CEO and X owner resigned from OpenAI’s board of directors back in 2018. It was suggested that he left due to a potential conflict of interest, as Tesla and OpenAI were competing for the same pool of AI workers at the time.
Disputed Claims
However, these claims have been disputed. In March this year, the news website Semafor supported OpenAI’s claim that Musk had put himself forward as the new leader of OpenAI and left the company when his proposal was rejected.
Differing Approaches
The Financial Times also issued a claim of its own, that Musk left due to disagreements with fellow board members over the company’s approach to AI safety.
Deteriorated Relationship
While Musk initially claimed they had all separated on “good terms,” that relationship has certainly crumbled in recent years.
Growing AI Innovation and Competition
Though Musk has pointed to the changing M.O. at OpenAI as the reason, others have suggested it could be due to the growing sense of competition as Musk seeks to drive AI growth and innovation at his own companies.
xAI Launch
Last year the tech mogul launched his own AI startup, xAI, with an aim to “understand the true nature of the universe” according to the company’s official website.
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