OpenAI files countersuit against Elon Musk

The authors recalled that Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015. However, Musk left it before it became one of the leaders in the technology field.

In 2023, he founded his own artificial intelligence company, xAI. Since then, Musk has been trying to prevent OpenAI from switching to a commercial operating model, which is what caused the current legal conflict.

To raise all $40 billion in investment in its current funding round, OpenAI must complete this transition by the end of the year.

Through media attacks, targeted campaigns to his more than 200 million followers on the social platform he controls, fabricated demands for corporate documents, pressure lawsuits, and a fictitious attempt to acquire OpenAI assets, Musk has used every means at his disposal to harm OpenAI, the company said in a statement filed as part of the already open Musk v. OpenAI case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

OpenAI has asked the judge to stop Musk's actions and "hold him accountable for the harm he has already caused."

In a post on Musk's X platform, OpenAI said:

Elon's continued actions against us are nothing more than unscrupulous tactics aimed at slowing down OpenAI's development and appropriating leading innovations in artificial intelligence for his own benefit.

Last month, Musk's company xAI entered into a deal to acquire X for $33 billion, which allows it to share the value of the AI company with the social network's investors.

Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, sued OpenAI and Sam Altman last year, accusing the company of straying from its original mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, not for corporate profit. Musk did not respond to a request for comment on OpenAI’s new statement.

OpenAI and Altman deny these allegations, and Altman claims that Musk was trying to slow down a competitor.

This case concerns the transition of ChatGPT's developer to a commercial model, which, according to the company, is important to attract additional investment and to successfully compete in the expensive race for the development of artificial intelligence.