Elon Musk sues OpenAI & Sam Altman, again, after withdrawing his first lawsuit against AI company

Elon Musk has initiated a new lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. This legal action comes two months after Musk withdrew a similar lawsuit, and it raises significant questions about the direction and values of OpenAI.

The core of Musk’s complaint revolves around allegations that Altman and Brockman have strayed from OpenAI’s founding agreement. Musk claims that when he co-founded OpenAI in 2015, it was based on the promise that the organization would operate as a nonprofit, prioritizing safety and openness for the benefit of humanity over profit.

However, Musk contends that these objectives have been abandoned, particularly highlighted by OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft. The lawsuit describes the actions of Altman and Brockman as “perfidy and deceit of Shakespearean proportions.”

More from Tech

How ChatGPT is becoming everyone’s BFF and why that’s dangerous America ready for self-driving cars, but it has a legal problem

Musk’s lawyer, Marc Toberoff, has emphasized the differences between this new lawsuit and the previous one. He states that this lawsuit aims to hold Altman and Brockman accountable for their alleged misrepresentations to Musk and the public. Toberoff claims that the lawsuit seeks the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains obtained through these misrepresentations.

In response to the lawsuit, OpenAI pointed to a blog post published in March, reaffirming the company’s commitment to ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. An OpenAI spokesperson also noted that the emails Musk referenced in the original lawsuit, which was withdrawn in June, continue to speak for themselves.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

America ready for self-driving cars, but it has a legal problem

Alibaba, Baidu begin using own AI chips as China shifts away from US tech amid Nvidia row

Musk’s original lawsuit, filed in March, was met with OpenAI releasing emails that showed Musk agreeing to the company’s plan to raise more money and move away from open-source releases of its products. The reasons for the withdrawal of this initial lawsuit in June were not disclosed by Musk’s legal team.

This new lawsuit underscores the ongoing tension between Musk and the current leadership of OpenAI. It raises critical questions about the governance and ethical direction of organizations involved in developing advanced AI technologies. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for the future of OpenAI and its mission.

As Musk seeks a jury trial, the tech and AI communities will closely watch the developments in this case, which may set important precedents for how foundational agreements and ethical commitments are upheld in rapidly evolving technological fields.