Elon Musk added antitrust claims against OpenAI and Microsoft to his existing lawsuit against OpenAI.
Musk claimed the companies colluded to remove competition in artificial intelligence, according to an amended lawsuit filed late Thursday (Nov. 14).
In his expanded lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of “rampant self-dealing” between OpenAI and other companies; charged that Altman pushed the company into a “de facto merger” with Microsoft; and alleged that OpenAI and Microsoft discouraged its investors from investing in its competitors, including Musk’s xAI.
“Microsoft and OpenAI, apparently unsatisfied with their monopoly, or near so, in generative artificial intelligence are now actively trying to eliminate competitors, such as xAI, by extracting promises from investors not to fund them,” the complaint said.
Musk filed a complaint in February alleging that OpenAI and Altman broke the company’s founding agreement by focusing on profits over benefits to humanity and by developing a close relationship with Microsoft.
In August, Musk added claims of unfair business practices and allegations that, as one who helped launch OpenAI, he was manipulated into believing it would be a nonprofit.
Responding to the newly amended lawsuit, an OpenAI spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal Friday (Nov. 15): “Elon’s third attempt in less than a year to reframe his claims is even more baseless and overreaching than the previous ones.”
It was reported in September that OpenAI was planning to restructure its core business into a for-profit benefit corporation that won’t be controlled by its nonprofit board.
Asked about the report by Reuters at the time, an OpenAI spokesperson said: “We remain focused on building AI that benefits everyone, and we’re working with our board to ensure that we’re best positioned to succeed in our mission. The nonprofit is core to our mission and will continue to exist.”
In October, OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in new funding and nearly doubled its valuation to $157 billion — a figure that put it in the same market capitalization territory as Uber, AT&T and Goldman Sachs.
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