Elon Musk Sues Worldcoin Co-Founder Sam Altman: Here Are The Reasons

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its Chief Executive, Sam Altman, claiming a breach of the artificial-intelligence company's founding agreement. 

Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI in 2015, alleges that the organization has deviated from its commitment to being a nonprofit entity for the benefit of humanity, prioritizing profit instead. 

According to court documents filed in San Francisco, Musk asserts that OpenAI's current alignment with tech giant Microsoft contradicts its initial commitment to public, open-source AI. The lawsuit claims that OpenAI has transformed into a "closed-source de facto subsidiary of Microsoft," focusing on refining artificial general intelligence (AGI) to maximize profits for Microsoft rather than serving humanity.

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Allegations and Legal Claims

Elon Musk is bringing multiple claims against OpenAI and its co-founders, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair business practices. The lawsuit seeks to return OpenAI to its original founding agreement, focusing on development of AGI for humanity instead of individual profits and gains.

Open AI was originally established in 2015 as a nonprofit AI research lab, but it shifted its focus after becoming a for-profit company in 2020. Musk, who stepped down from OpenAI's board in 2018, and other critics argue that the organization, including its successful product ChatGPT, is now oriented towards speed and profit, neglecting its initial commitment to positive human impact.

OpenAI's revenues have reportedly soared beyond $2 billion annually, making it one of the fastest-growing tech companies, according to Financial Times.