The long-standing disputes between Elon Musk and OpenAI have gained a new dimension with the internal company correspondence that has emerged recently. A blog post published by OpenAI reveals Musk’s past overtures and attempts to increase his control over the company. In the article, it is noteworthy that Musk advocated for OpenAI to become a for-profit structure in 2017 and even proposed that the company be brought under the umbrella of Tesla. In addition, Musk’s dissatisfaction with the company for its contributions to OpenAI’s early financing is also clearly highlighted.
The correspondence published by OpenAI includes Musk’s contributions during the establishment phase, as well as the differences of opinion that occurred in later periods. Musk appears to have stated that leaving OpenAI in a non-profit structure was “the right choice for the early period”, but argued that this structure should be changed over time. However, it is reported that Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, co-founders of the company, rejected Musk’s suggestions on the grounds that “it could lead to a power struggle.”
Behind the scenes of the power struggle within the company
Musk’s efforts to increase control over OpenAI have caused serious tension within the company, according to correspondence. In particular, Musk’s demand for the CEO position and his desire to have a sole say in the company’s decision-making mechanism created uneasiness among the founders. As a result, it is stated that Musk decided to leave the company in 2018. However, after this separation, it is stated that Musk advised the company’s employees that “they should follow a path that requires large financing in the field of artificial intelligence” and stated that Tesla could be a leader in this field.
Another striking detail is Musk’s reaction to OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit structure in the following years. In the correspondence, it appears that Musk found it “disturbing” that the company would reach a valuation of $20 billion by 2024 and described it as a “misleading.” Musk expresses that he is not satisfied with OpenAI’s current position, after the support it provided in the financing processes. At this point, his establishment of his own artificial intelligence company xAI by criticizing OpenAI’s current structure is considered as a result of this tension.
OpenAI was quick to respond to Musk’s claims in its blog post. The company said Musk’s efforts to become CEO created “concern about losing the company’s independence” among the founders. In addition, he emphasized that OpenAI still maintains its mission of benefiting humanity and pursues this goal in all its projects. The company stated, “We have always appreciated Elon Musk’s contributions, but we believe that leadership in developing artificial intelligence should be determined in a competitive market environment rather than in the courts.”
New allegations in the Musk and OpenAI case
Musk criticizes OpenAI for moving away from its non-profit mission during its founding process and establishing major partnerships such as Microsoft. Musk, who filed a lawsuit for this reason in March 2024, claimed that OpenAI had deviated from its original purpose in this process. However, Musk, who withdrew the case without explanation in June of the same year, reopened the case in August. Documents submitted during the lawsuit reveal only part of Musk’s efforts to control OpenAI.
All these developments show that the tension between Musk and OpenAI in the world of artificial intelligence will continue to increase. While it is known that Musk sees artificial intelligence as one of the most critical technologies of the future, it is clear that OpenAI is also striving for leadership in this field. At this point, it remains a matter of curiosity what path the parties will follow, both sectorally and legally.
In summary, this tension between Elon Musk and OpenAI may have a serious impact on the future of artificial intelligence technologies. The resulting correspondence and statements of both parties indicate that this conflict will not only be limited to the legal dimension, but also that competition in the artificial intelligence ecosystem will become even tougher. In this process, it seems that both Musk’s initiatives such as xAI and OpenAI’s own projects will be followed carefully.