OpenAI has accused Elon Musk of launching a harassment campaign against the artificial intelligence company. Sam Altman and his lawyers have filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court to request the dismissal of Musk’s lawsuit. This response comes just months after Musk claimed that OpenAI’s co-founders manipulated him into investing in the startup.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, Altman and OpenAI’s legal team submitted a filing in a California courtroom. The head of the artificial intelligence company accused Elon Musk of harassing them for competitive reasons. Sam Altman stated that Musk had intentions of taking control of OpenAI but was never successful.
“The lawsuit is the latest step in Elon Musk’s growing campaign to bully OpenAI for his own competitive gain,” said Sam Altman. “OpenAI is committed to the safe and beneficial development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Musk once supported OpenAI in this mission but left the company when his attempt to take control failed.”
These allegations are part of the ongoing conflict between Elon Musk and OpenAI. Sam Altman and Musk co-founded the company in 2015 with the goal of ensuring that AI would benefit all of humanity. OpenAI was originally established as a nonprofit, but later adopted a hybrid model to secure revenue.
It was at that point that the relationship between Elon Musk and Sam Altman deteriorated, leading to Musk’s departure from the company.
Elon Musk wanted to take control of OpenAI, but he was never able to do so.
For years, he has claimed that OpenAI has lost its direction. A few months ago, the former co-founder stated that the company focused on commercial goals instead of its mission to benefit humanity with AI. While Musk presented himself as an altruist, the reality tells a different story.
In a letter posted on their blog, OpenAI explains the reasons behind Elon Musk’s departure. Sam Altman noted that they recognized the need for significant computing power to fulfill their mission of developing AI. He mentioned that they would require billions of dollars each year, and Musk made a proposal.
“While we were discussing a for-profit structure to advance our mission, Elon wanted us to merge with Tesla or to have full control,” Altman revealed. “In early February 2018, Elon sent us an email suggesting that OpenAI should ‘partner with Tesla as their golden goose,’ stating that it was ‘exactly right’… that Tesla was the only way to compete with Google.”
When Elon Musk realized that taking control was not possible, he left the company. Altman stated that Musk departed from OpenAI in 2018, promising to develop his own general AI within Tesla. The post includes a series of emails from Musk and OpenAI co-founders that contradict Musk’s statements.
Although Musk has since dropped his initial lawsuit, he is still suing OpenAI for manipulation. The complaint describes it as a “classic example of altruism versus greed” and accuses the company of fraud and other wrongful actions. Sam Altman and his lawyers have requested the judge to dismiss these allegations.
