Elon Musk’s ongoing conflict with OpenAI has taken a new turn. The tech entrepreneur, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and left three years later, is now running a competing AI company, xAI. Recently, Musk attempted to block OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, from transitioning into a traditional for-profit corporation. The company, which is currently raising billions of dollars, responded by releasing internal emails shedding light on Musk’s earlier involvement and demands.
Emails Reveal Musk’s Vision for OpenAI
The emails, exchanged between Musk, his representatives, and other OpenAI co-founders such as Altman and Ilya Sutskever, highlight debates about the organization’s structure and funding needs. According to OpenAI, Musk proposed creating a for-profit division that he would own and control. In September 2017, he registered “Open Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Inc.” as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), a model that blends profit-making with a socially beneficial mission.
However, OpenAI claims that Musk left the organization when he failed to gain a controlling stake, adds NIXsolutions. “When he did not get a controlling stake and full control, he left and told us that we would fail. Now that OpenAI is a leading AI research lab, and Elon runs a competing AI company, he is asking the court to prevent us from effectively fulfilling our mission,” the company stated.
The Broader Context of the Dispute
OpenAI published these emails on its corporate blog, emphasizing that the correspondence is presented out of full context. The dispute between Musk and OpenAI underscores a broader clash over the future of artificial intelligence and corporate ethics. We’ll keep you updated as this legal case unfolds and more details come to light.