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The ongoing dispute between OpenAI and Elon Musk has taken a new turn. OpenAI has released a series of emails on its website suggesting that Musk himself had previously advocated for a for-profit structure for the startup.
This revelation is huge given how critic Musk is of OpenAI’s subsequent transition from a non-profit to a for-profit entity, which also led to a lawsuit involving Microsoft.
In a Saturday blog post, OpenAI asserted that Musk not only desired a for-profit model but also proposed a specific organizational structure. Supporting this claim, OpenAI shared documentation indicating that Musk instructed his wealth manager, Jared Birchall, to register “Open Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Inc.” as the for-profit arm of OpenAI.
OpenAI isn’t holding back in their latest response to Elon Musk’s legal actions. In a recent blog post, they pointed out that this is Musk’s fourth try in under a year to change his story about what happened. They basically said, “His own words and actions tell the real story.”
They went on to say that back in 2017, Musk didn’t just want OpenAI to be for-profit, he actually set up a for-profit structure himself. But when he couldn’t get majority ownership and total control, he walked out telling them they were doomed to fail.
Now they argue that since OpenAI is a leading AI lab and Musk is running a rival AI company, he is trying to use the courts to stop them from achieving their goals.
In a separate legal filing, OpenAI also pushed back against Musk’s attempt to block their move to a for-profit model. They argued that what Musk is asking for would seriously hurt OpenAI’s business, decision-making and mission to create safe and beneficial AI, all while benefiting Musk and his own company.
OpenAI also claimed that Musk wanted majority stake in the for-profit arm of the company. The AI startup claimed that Musk said that he did not care about the money but instead wanted to accumulate $80 billion in wealth in order to build a city on Mars.