Elon Musk expanded his claims in the legal process he initiated against OpenAI. Adding Microsoft to the defendants, Musk increased his antitrust accusations and included his own artificial intelligence initiative xAI and former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis among the plaintiffs. This development shows that the lawsuit Musk launched against OpenAI in March has become more complex.
Musk accuses OpenAI founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of violating the organization’s nonprofit mission by collaborating with Microsoft. The original case was withdrawn from state court in June and then reinstated at the federal level. However, with the latest regulations, the case has gained a much broader scope.
Details of Elon Musk’s antitrust accusations
Musk claims that OpenAI is using aggressive methods to exclude competitors from the market. The lawsuit documents state that OpenAI and Microsoft shared competitively sensitive information, which harmed startups like xAI. In addition, it is alleged that investors are being pressured not to fund OpenAI competitors.
The new version of the case also targets some of Microsoft’s senior executives. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft Vice President Dee Templeton have faced criminal charges for their roles at both OpenAI and Microsoft. According to Musk, the close relations between these two names resulted in detrimental results for competition.
Musk also included Shivon Zilis, a director at Neuralink and also a former OpenAI board member, in the lawsuit. It is stated that Zilis shared similar concerns with Musk regarding OpenAI’s agreements with Microsoft. This indicates that Zilis may play a key role in the litigation process.
On the other hand, OpenAI’s defense also attracts attention. The company claimed that Musk himself was directly involved in OpenAI’s plans to transition to a for-profit structure. In old published emails, it is claimed that Musk attempted to take control of OpenAI and proposed to merge the company with Tesla.
After Musk left OpenAI in 2018, Microsoft’s $1 billion investment in the company began. As of today, Microsoft has invested a total of $13 billion in OpenAI. These investments paved the way for OpenAI to complete its transformation into a for-profit structure.