Sam Altman’s OpenAI has formally requested that the attorneys general of California and Delaware investigate what it characterizes as “anti-competitive behavior” by Elon Musk as a courtroom showdown between the AI moguls nears jury selection.
CNBC reports that OpenAI submitted a letter on Monday to the attorneys general of California and Delaware calling for an investigation into alleged improper and anti-competitive conduct by Elon Musk and individuals connected to him. The request comes as jury selection is scheduled to begin on April 27 for a high-profile trial between Musk and Sam Altman’s AI company in the Northern District of California.
In the correspondence, Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, accused Musk of orchestrating various attacks designed to undermine the company. The letter specifically alleges that Musk has been coordinating efforts with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in these activities. According to OpenAI, these attacks included gathering opposition research on Altman and sharing it with potential investors and partners.
The conflict between Musk and OpenAI has deep historical roots. Musk cofounded the AI laboratory in 2015 alongside Sam Altman, who now serves as CEO, as well as several other researchers and executives. The organization was initially established as a nonprofit entity. However, Musk departed from OpenAI in 2018 following unsuccessful attempts to persuade company leadership to merge the organization with Tesla.
According to Kwon’s letter, Musk’s alleged actions could potentially impede OpenAI’s mission to develop artificial general intelligence, commonly referred to as AGI. This term describes AI systems that match or surpass human-level intelligence across a broad range of tasks.
“These attacks are designed to take control of the future of AGI out of the hands of those who are legally obligated to pursue the mission of ensuring that AGI benefits all of humanity, and put it into the hands of competitors who lack mission-driven principles and spurn any responsibility for safety,” Kwon wrote in the letter.