OpenAI countersues Elon Musk in bitter legal battle
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Elon Musk on March 5 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
OpenAI countersued Elon Musk on Wednesday, arguing in its lawsuit that he "could not tolerate seeing" the company's success and that he sought to build a direct competitor "not for humanity" but for himself.
The big picture: It's the latest in a high profile legal battle pitting the AI revolution's standard-bearing company against the tech billionaire who helped found it.
Driving the news: OpenAI said in a filing that Musk "made it his project to take down OpenAI" and that he "could not tolerate seeing such success for an enterprise he had abandoned and declared doomed."
- The company asked the federal court in San Francisco to hold Musk responsible for damage he caused them and to stop him from "further unlawful and unfair action."
What they're saying: "Elon's nonstop actions against us are just bad-faith tactics to slow down OpenAI and seize control of the leading AI innovations for his personal benefit," OpenAI said in a post on X, adding that they're countersuing to "stop him."
- Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Wednesday evening.
Flashback: Musk helped found OpenAI in 2015 but has since become a bitter opponent and critic of the ChatGPT maker. He's also the founder of xAI, an OpenAI rival.
Catch up quick: Musk in August sued OpenAI and two of its founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, two months after withdrawing a similar suit.
- Musk's complaint, like the original lawsuit, alleged that Altman and Brockman abandoned the company's founding agreement by prioritizing profits over the public interest.
- OpenAI argued in a December filing that Musk's own emails showed he wanted OpenAI to have a for-profit component and wanted to own and run it himself.
Go deeper: OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk's lawsuit in court filing
