In a growing legal dispute, OpenAI has made public internal emails that show Elon Musk initially favored moving the business to a for-profit model, despite his recent legal disputes against the change. Musk, who helped create OpenAI as a non-profit, has filed two lawsuits against the company in the last 12 months, claiming that it has shifted to a conventional for-profit business model. Musk attempted to stop OpenAI’s transformation to a for-profit company in November by filing a second request in federal court.
OpenAI’s Friday filing accuses Musk of trying to stymie the company’s progress as he develops xAI, a competing venture. The company’s blog post, titled “Elon Musk Wanted an OpenAI for Profit,” presents a timeline suggesting Musk not only supported but helped create OpenAI’s for-profit framework in 2017. A 2015 email from Musk to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the non-profit model as “suboptimal,” aligning with Musk’s endorsement of a profit-driven approach.
OpenAI claims that Musk sought majority equity during its structural shift in 2017, and when unsuccessful, walked away from the project, predicting its failure. Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018, but his legal team asserts he continued contributing until 2020. OpenAI accuses Musk of attempting to merge the organization with Tesla, allegedly envisioning OpenAI as Tesla’s “cash cow.”
The legal filings argue Musk’s recent court actions aim to delay OpenAI’s progress as xAI works on its Grok chatbot. OpenAI, now a leader in AI research, expressed gratitude for Musk’s early contributions but criticized his reliance on lawsuits rather than market competition. “You can’t sue your way to AGI,” the blog stated, referring to artificial general intelligence.
Musk’s shifting stance on OpenAI’s structure underscores the tension between his role as an AI pioneer and competitor. While OpenAI charges forward, Musk’s ongoing legal maneuvers suggest the stakes remain high in the battle for AI supremacy.
