OpenAI published receipts, in the form of a long timeline of emails, texts and legal filings, illustrating that Elon Musk’s injunction to prevent OpenAI from converting into a for-profit company runs counter to what he wanted in 2017. Essentially, OpenAI is providing even more evidence to the fact that its former co-founder wanted the AI startup to become a for-profit company and make him CEO.
You should read the whole blog to get all of the details (and get a sense for how billionaires email) but the gist is that in 2017, Musk and OpenAI came to an understanding that the then non-profit needed to become a for-profit to “advance its mission” and seemingly capitalize on the public interest earned from its AI beating professional Dota 2 players in one-on-one matches. According to OpenAI, Musk proposed a new board structure where he “would unequivocally have initial control of the company,” which OpenAI was opposed to. That led to the disagreements between Musk and OpenAI leadership, and him ultimately leaving the nonprofit’s board in 2018. xAI, Musk’s AI startup that’s a direct competitor to OpenAI, was started in 2023.
It’s pretty clear what OpenAI is trying to do here. Musk first sued OpenAI in March 2024 over the company’s dealings with Microsoft and the belief they violated its non-profit status. He dropped the suit not long after OpenAI published a blog with emails that suggested Musk wanted OpenAI to either merge with Tesla or make him CEO. OpenAI’s new blog expands on all those details with new material and seems set up to achieve a similar effect.
