Elon Musk’s Efforts to Merge or Control OpenAI
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Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, allegedly wanted ai research company OpenAI to merge with Tesla or grant him full control over the organization. In response, OpenAI shared email communications from 2015 to 2018 that detail Musk’s interest in majority equity, control of the board of directors, and the CEO position. When discussions stalled, Musk suggested attaching OpenAI to Tesla for funding purposes. However, these merger or acquisition proposals did not succeed, leading to Musk’s departure from the company and a lawsuit filed in March 2024 that accuses OpenAI of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair competition.
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Musk’s Proposal Challenges OpenAI’s Mission
In a blog post, OpenAI explained that Elon Musk sought majority equity, control of the board of directors, and the CEO position during discussions in 2017. The company’s mission is to ensure artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity without risking irreversible harm. OpenAI felt that granting Musk such control would go against its mission, stating: “Elon wanted us to merge with Tesla or he wanted full control.”
Musk Leaves OpenAI and Focuses on Tesla
When the merger discussions stalled, Musk proposed in 2018 that OpenAI could become attached to Tesla as a way for the automaker to provide funding. In an email forwarded to OpenAI, he stated: “Tesla is the only path that could even hope to hold a candle to Google.”
Musk’s Departure and OpenAI’s Response
Soon after departing OpenAI, Musk filed a lawsuit against the company in March 2024. The suit alleges that OpenAI has become a “closed-source de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft after accepting $13 billion in investment from the tech giant. However, OpenAI denies these claims and states that Musk was aware the “Open” in its name did not mean it had to open-source all its ai technology to the public.
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As of now, Musk has not publicly responded to OpenAI’s blog post, but the lawsuit seeks to compel OpenAI to make its research freely available and prohibit exclusive arrangements benefiting individual companies. In response, OpenAI says it intends to move to dismiss all of Musk’s claims.
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