Elon Musk, who is at the helm of Tesla, is calling upon a U.S. court to intervene in OpenAI’s move towards a profit-oriented business model. This development was reported by CNBC. Musk, along with his AI venture, xAI, moved legally on Friday, putting forward a request to stop OpenAI from imposing restrictions on its backers. According to their claim, these restrictions prevent investors from financing competing organizations.
This course of action is the latest episode in Musk’s tumultuous relationship with OpenAI. It’s an organization he helped inaugurate in 2015 but has since separated from. Initially set up as a non-profit, OpenAI has made strides towards evolving into a capped for-profit institution. At present, the firm is working towards attaining the status of a for-profit public benefit corporation.
Becoming a public benefit corporation can potentially make the organization more appealing to investors. Musk made his exit from the organization in 2018, expressing discomfort with the capitalistic course it was embarking on. He proceeded to file a complaint against OpenAI in March after his exit. The crux of his lawsuit is the allegation that OpenAI deviated from its initial non-profit mission, which sought to democratize AI research.
In Musk’s view, this initiative was meant to make scientific contributions in the AI realm accessible to a wide array of individuals. However, OpenAI presents a different viewpoint. The organization contends that Musk’s lawsuit is nothing more than a manifestation of his resentment following his departure from the company.