Elon Musk, the entrepreneur who leads Tesla and SpaceX, has publicly questioned the work and direction of OpenAI, the startup behind popular AI tools like ChatGPT. In a recent interview with CNBC, he shared his perspectives on the vision and governance of the company.
Musk stepped away from OpenAI’s board in 2018, and the following year the nonprofit venture restructured as a capped-profit company. The move drew strong reactions from Musk, who had helped launch OpenAI as an open collaboration aimed at broad access to artificial intelligence.
He described the shift as incongruent with the original open source, noncommercial intent and drew an analogy to a forest conservation project that ends up being sold for profit. The comparison highlighted concerns about mission drift and commercial pressures within AI initiatives.
According to Musk, Microsoft holds significant influence over OpenAI and could halt or alter its operations at any moment. He warned that while the project strives to advance powerful digital intelligence, it remains essential to understand who ultimately controls the outcome and the technology behind it.
Musk estimated his financial involvement in OpenAI at nearly 50 million dollars and suggested he continues to play a meaningful role in recruiting top scientists and engineers. He was one of the early financiers and, together with the startup’s current chief executive, Sam Altman, helped establish OpenAI in 2015.
In his reflections, Musk asserted that OpenAI owes part of its existence to his initial advocacy and branding decisions. He noted that OpenAI began as an open source, nonprofit project and implied that the current structure diverges from that origin. The remarks were framed as a critique of how ambitious tech ventures evolve over time, especially in fast-moving fields like artificial intelligence.
Industry observers and investors have offered varying interpretations of Musk’s stance. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla suggested that Musk’s urging to slow AI development might serve as a strategic move to help the industry catch up and better prepare for competitive pressures.
Analysts have also highlighted public discourse around Musk’s broader AI initiatives, including his personal project, X.ai, which reflects his continued interest in shaping AI strategy beyond OpenAI. The conversation underscores the ongoing debate about governance, transparency, and the pace of AI progress in major tech ecosystems. [Citation: CNBC interview; Bloomberg coverage; industry analysis]