Business · Ars Technica
If Musk wins, OpenAI’s hopes of growing a for-profit arm that can fund the nonprofit could be dashed
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If Altman wins, OpenAI’s mission could be lost—with the AI startup perhaps following in the footsteps of Google, which famously vowed that “Don’t be evil” drove its business decisions, but no longer seems bound by that unofficial motto.
Key facts
- Musk contributed about $38 million to OpenAI during its early years, which was about 60 percent of the donations that helped propel the AI firm to its success today
- That put the company strategically on track to potentially go public in the final quarter of 2026 —following an $852 billion valuation —unless Musk’s lawsuit blocks the move
- According to Musk, he’s now owed $134 billion in damages if the judge agrees that OpenAI abandoned its mission
- He claimed it was a “mistake” that he initially posted on X that he donated $100 million, simply forgetting how much he ultimately paid out
Summary
A hotly anticipated trial starts this week, where Elon Musk will attempt to prove that OpenAI, under Sam Altman, has abandoned its mission to remain a nonprofit to ensure that artificial intelligence serves humanity, and not billionaires. Many view the lawsuit as a grudge match between Musk—who left OpenAI after serving as an early major donor and advisor—and Altman—who currently runs OpenAI, despite insiders’ allegedly growing distrust in his commitment to the dominant AI firm’s mission. If Musk wins, OpenAI’s hopes of growing a for-profit arm that can fund the nonprofit could be dashed.