Breaking down Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Elon Musk is suing OpenAI in federal court, alleging that the AI giant manipulated him into thinking he was contributing tens of millions of dollars to help launch a nonprofit. Musk, currently the richest man in the world, is seeking between $79 billion to $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft.
A judge ruled this month that the case will go to trial. It is expected to start in April in Oakland, Calif. Documents in the case have recently been unsealed, detailing the tangled web of relationships between Musk, OpenAI leaders and Microsoft.
Here’s what to know. OpenAI was founded in 2015 by a group of individuals including Chief Executive Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman. Musk donated approximately $38 million to OpenAI in its early years to help the founders pursue its nonprofit mission “to benefit humanity," according to court filings.
Musk was the primary funder for the AI company’s beginnings, but he and Altman soon had a power struggle over control of the venture. In 2018, Musk stepped down from the board and stopped giving money to OpenAI in 2020, the lawsuit said. OpenAI has since exploded in growth.
The company is now raising as much as $100 billion in a fundraising round that could value the giant at as much as $830 billion. Musk’s early donations to OpenAI are central to his demands for up to $134 billion in damages. Musk also accuses Microsoft of having “knowingly aided and abetted" OpenAI, while benefiting from Musk’s early donations.
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