Full details of Elon Musk's legal pursuit of OpenAI and Microsoft
Billionaire Elon Musk has expanded his lawsuit against OpenAI , the lead developer of ChatGPT, to include Microsoft as a defendant, adding new allegations of antitrust violations. The amended lawsuit was filed in federal court in Oakland, California, in which Musk accuses both OpenAI and Microsoft of seeking to monopolize the generative artificial intelligence market and squeeze out competitors.
The lawsuit revolves around allegations that OpenAI, which Musk initially founded, violated contract agreements with investors by putting profits ahead of the public interest in its pursuit of artificial intelligence.
Musk noted in the lawsuit that OpenAI has transformed from a tax-exempt charity into a $157 billion corporate entity in just eight years.
In his expanded lawsuit, Musk is demanding that the license between OpenAI and Microsoft be revoked, demanding that the two companies be forced to forfeit the “ill-gotten profits” they made from the deal.
For its part, OpenAI responded to these accusations, saying in a statement that the new lawsuit is “even more baseless and overreaching” than previous lawsuits, adding that what Musk is doing is part of “a growing campaign of threats to target OpenAI” for his own personal gain.
Musk, who has a long history of opposition to OpenAI since its founding, is no stranger to legal battles. Recently, Musk gained new attention after being appointed to a new position in the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, where he was tasked with reducing government waste, after donating millions of dollars to Trump’s election campaign.
In the expanded lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI and Microsoft of violating antitrust laws by imposing conditions on investments that prevented them from doing business with their competitors.
He also added that the exclusive licensing agreement between the two companies constitutes an illegal merger because it did not obtain the necessary regulatory approvals.