Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, has filed a lawsuit alleging that OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, breached the terms of a non-profit collaboration by shifting away from a public-interest mission toward commercial goals. The dispute centers on OpenAI’s evolving structure and a significant partnership with Microsoft, which Musk argues signals a move away from the organization’s original purpose. The allegations are reported by Reuters and related outlets.
OpenAI began in 2015 as a non-profit aimed at advancing powerful, open-access artificial intelligence that would benefit all of humanity. Musk was among the early supporters and board members but stepped down from the board in 2018. After OpenAI announced the formation of a for-profit arm and entered into a substantial deal with Microsoft, Microsoft obtained exclusive access to OpenAI’s cloud platform and products.
The core of Musk’s claim is that these developments breach the original agreement and undermine the contractual commitments made when OpenAI was formed. He criticizes the company’s board for what he views as insufficient technical oversight into the governance of artificial general intelligence and the direction of its development.
The concerns raised focus on the potential risks of letting a commercial entity drive the creation of highly capable AI. Musk argues that profit-driven motives could threaten public safety and delay or derail progress toward broadly beneficial AI outcomes.
There is also a note about Musk’s earlier statements and activities related to OpenAI’s origins, including reflections on his involvement with a Windows-based laptop and the timeline of events surrounding the company’s evolution.