OpenAI Urges U.S. State Governments to Investigate Musk's Anti-Competitive Practices

OpenAI has requested that U.S. state governments investigate Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. The two parties are currently engaged in a legal battle.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to reports from CNBC and Bloomberg on April 6 (local time), OpenAI has asked the attorneys general of California and Delaware to investigate anti-competitive actions allegedly taken by Musk and his associates.

In a letter from Jason Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of OpenAI, he claimed that Musk has "repeatedly attempted to regain control over the nonprofit for personal gain, in order to seize control of the future of AI, but has failed each time."

The letter was released ahead of Musk's upcoming courtroom confrontation with OpenAI and Microsoft. Musk argues that OpenAI has abandoned its nonprofit mission for the public good by accepting billions of dollars in investment from Microsoft and moving toward a for-profit model. Musk has filed a lawsuit seeking up to $134 billion in damages against OpenAI and Microsoft.

Kwon, the CSO, also referred to the upcoming trial, asserting that this lawsuit could undermine an agreement OpenAI reached with the two state governments in October last year, when the company completed its restructuring plan. At the time, OpenAI announced that as part of the transition to maintain nonprofit control over its for-profit business, it had granted Microsoft a 27% stake.

Kwon emphasized, "Musk's lawsuit is not just against OpenAI," stating, "The real issue is whether a company that follows the mission and structure outlined in the October 2023 agreement can have a place in this industry, or whether that place should be handed over to Musk and his accomplices."

Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 with Sam Altman and others. However, their relationship has deteriorated in recent years. Musk left the OpenAI board in 2018. In 2023, he co-founded the AI company xAI, which is now considered one of OpenAI's main competitors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.