Elon Musk Revives Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Sam Altman in Federal Court

Elon Musk has refiled a lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI in a federal court, alleging he was manipulated into co-founding the artificial intelligence company under false pretenses. According to a court filing released on Monday, Musk claims that he was “courted and deceived” by Altman and Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s current president, into believing the organization would operate as a non-profit entity.

The lawsuit contends that after Musk joined and invested millions of dollars, he was “betrayed by Altman and his accomplices,” who, along with Microsoft, created “an opaque web of for-profit OpenAI affiliates” and engaged in “rampant self-dealing.” Musk’s legal team describes the situation as having “perfidy and deceit of Shakespearean proportions.”

This new lawsuit echoes claims Musk previously made in a similar lawsuit filed earlier this year against OpenAI and Altman in California, which he eventually dropped. Musk has been outspoken about his concerns regarding artificial intelligence and its potential risks to humanity. In the latest lawsuit, filed in a Northern California district court, Musk alleges he was “manipulated” into co-founding OpenAI with assurances from Altman and Brockman that the company would pursue a safer and more transparent approach than profit-driven tech giants.

According to the lawsuit, “Altman assured Musk that the non-profit structure guaranteed neutrality and a focus on safety and openness for the benefit of humanity, not shareholder value.” Musk claims that these assurances amounted to “hot-air philanthropy,” which was part of “Altman’s long con.”