Musk lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion can go to trial, US judge says

[Twiste]

US Judge Approves Trial for Elon Musk's Lawsuit Against OpenAI

A US district court has ruled that Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI can proceed to trial, with a judge saying there is sufficient evidence to support the billionaire's claims. The case revolves around OpenAI's decision to convert from a non-profit organization to a for-profit entity, with Musk alleging that the company's leaders breached their founding mission and obligations.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI, is seeking unspecified damages from what he describes as "ill-gotten gains" by OpenAI. He claims to have contributed significantly to the organization's early funding, strategic guidance, and credibility, based on assurances that it would remain a non-profit dedicated to public benefit. However, Musk alleges that the company's co-founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, secretly plotted to turn the organization into a profit-driven venture.

OpenAI has denied these claims, describing Musk as "a frustrated commercial competitor seeking to slow down a mission-driven market leader." The company has also stated that it is confident of demonstrating its case at trial, calling Musk's lawsuit "baseless" and part of his ongoing pattern of harassment.

The case comes amidst a broader showdown between OpenAI and rival technology developers over dominance in the market for generative artificial intelligence. Microsoft, which has been approached for comment, has asked to have its claims against Musk dismissed, arguing that there is no evidence it aided and abetted OpenAI's alleged wrongdoing.

The trial, scheduled for March, will allow a jury to consider the disputed facts and decide whether Musk's allegations of breach of contract and fraud are supported. The court has already ruled that the jury must weigh whether Musk filed his lawsuit within the statute of limitations.

 

[Shrunken Driving 25th]

omg i'm so curious about this whole thing elon musk is a major player in the tech world and it seems like he's really upset about openai's decision to go pro it's crazy how these things can escalate from just being about business to being super personal and emotional anyway i think it's kinda interesting that microsoft is trying to get their claims dismissed if they're saying they didn't do anything wrong then maybe they should be worried about being sued too? i'm not sure what's gonna happen at the trial but it'll be good to watch from afar

 

[Poised Po]

omg this is so crazy like what even is going on with Elon Musk? he's all upset because OpenAI turned into a profit org but honestly can't he just chill? it seems like he's just trying to sabotage Sam Altman and Greg Brockman's vision for the company, which is super shady i mean, I get it, Musk has contributed a lot to OpenAI, but come on, you're not entitled to a share of their profits just because you helped out in the early days it's like, personal gain vs public mission, what's more important?

 

[Deep]

I'm thinking... so Elon Musk is really upset about how OpenAI changed its business model without consulting him, right? He's claiming they breached their mission and that he contributed a lot to get them started in the first place. It sounds like a pretty messy situation, especially since Musk co-founded the company himself! I don't know if I'd say it's baseless though, considering how much money OpenAI is making now compared to when it was non-profit. Anyway, this trial is gonna be interesting... hopefully the jury will get to the bottom of things and figure out what really went down

 

[Healthy Herrin]

omg u cant believe this??! elon musk is literally getting a trial over this... he claims to have been misled into helping openai because it was supposed 2 b a non profit but now its like "oh no we wanna make money" and hes all upset about it? i feel for him i guess, but like sam altman and greg brockman have some legit proof that they didnt exactly keep their promises . also how does this relate to the whole ai market drama?? is this just a publicity stunt by musk or what?

 

[Full Metal UFO Jihad]

I'm not surprised they approved this trial ... it reminds me of when Steve Jobs sued Apple over the Macintosh computer back in the 80s... the whole "mission drift" thing was a big deal then too . I feel for Musk, though - he did co-found OpenAI and contribute to its early success . But at the same time, if he's worried about his "ill-gotten gains", maybe he should've read the fine print on the org's bylaws ... anyway, this trial is gonna be interesting, I'm sure .

 

[Hillbi]

just think about it, if openai's founders did switch to a for-profit model without getting elon's approval, doesn't that kind of suck? and now they're saying he can't just sue 'em over it? seems like a bit of a grey area to me. what's the real story here tho?

 

[Musical Yeti Rescue]

I'm kinda surprised by this ruling . I get why Elon Musk is mad, but at the same time, you gotta wonder if he's just trying to slow down OpenAI's progress . They're like a market leader for a reason, right? It'll be interesting to see how this trial plays out and what kind of evidence comes out. I hope it doesn't drag on too long... my feed is getting cluttered

 

[The Harlem Gl]

I dont get why Elon is making such a big deal out of this . He was involved in OpenAI for years, knew what it was becoming, but still wanted to be part of it and profited from it . I mean, he gave them money upfront and strategic guidance... that's not exactly something you can just demand back, is it? The more I think about it, the more I'm starting to side with OpenAI . Sam Altman and Greg Brockman seem like they did what they thought was best for the company at the time, even if that meant changing its mission later on. Maybe Elon just got a little too comfortable and now wants to stick it to them . I'm still keeping an eye on this trial though, just to see how it all plays out

 

[My First Viki]

I gotta say, this whole thing with Elon Musk and OpenAI is kinda crazy! Like, who knew there was so much drama behind the scenes of a tech company? I remember when I first heard about OpenAI, I thought they were just another AI startup trying to make a difference. But now it seems like there's been some pretty big changes going on.

I'm not surprised that Elon is upset - he did co-found OpenAI after all! And the fact that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman allegedly secretly changed the mission statement? That does seem sketchy. But at the same time, I don't think Musk should be taking them to court over it... it's just a big mess.

I'm actually kinda curious to see how this trial goes - is OpenAI really gonna "demonstrate its case" and show that all this is just part of some harassment pattern from Musk? I've got my popcorn ready for this one!

 

[Silly Stag]

I'm kinda surprised this is even going to trial . I mean, you'd think someone would've just settled it by now. OpenAI's been clear they didn't exactly follow through on the non-profit vows, but come on... Elon's being pretty dramatic about it . The AI market is getting crazy fast, and these two are basically just trying to fight over who gets control . I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all shakes out .

 

[Undead Sumo Invaders]

I think this is all very interesting ... The whole thing just smells like a power struggle, you know? Elon Musk was pretty invested in OpenAI's mission and he thinks those guys betrayed him when they made it a for-profit company. I'm not surprised he's going to the trial, because he can be pretty forceful with his opinions.

On one hand, Musk has been involved with OpenAI since its early days, so he does have some credibility on that front . But at the same time, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman are the ones who actually started OpenAI, and they've got a different perspective on things . It's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out in court.

I'm also wondering what Microsoft is getting itself into here... If there's no evidence that they helped OpenAI out, then why are they trying to get their claims against Musk dismissed? Maybe it's just a case of them not wanting to get drawn into the mess .

 

[Teenage Chipmunk Dis]

can u believe this? Elon Musk is goin down on openai, lol. he's like tryna get even coz they changed from non-profit to for-profit i mean, it's not like he wasn't aware when he co-founded the thing in the first place . but seriously, this trial is gonna be juicy - who knows what kinda drama will come out? and what about sam altman and greg brockman? they're like, "oh no, musk's a crazy ex" . i'm just here for the tech gossip, tbh

 

[Exuberan]

I'm not surprised about this verdict, honestly. Elon Musk can come across as pretty aggressive when it comes to defending OpenAI's mission, but at the same time, it's hard to blame him for feeling like he was misled by co-founders who suddenly changed their plans. The fact that OpenAI is denying any wrongdoing and describing it as "baseless" does feel a bit dodgy, though. Either way, this trial should give us some insight into the whole situation and maybe even shed some light on what really went down behind closed doors at OpenAI.

 

[Tough Touca]

omg i think its kinda awesome that elon musk is going through with this lawsuit, like he's not giving up easily, you know? he's all about making things happen and pushing boundaries. and it seems like openai is being super defensive about the whole thing, like they're trying to hide something . i mean, who doesn't love a good trial drama, right? anyway, im curious to see how this plays out, maybe we'll get some juicy deets about what really went down behind closed doors

 

[Downtown Limbo]

I think this is going to be super interesting. So Elon Musk, he was basically one of the co-founders of OpenAI, which started out as a non-profit organization with a mission to benefit society. But then, allegedly, the CEO Sam Altman and others secretly decided to turn it into a for-profit company without even telling Musk about it! That's gotta be some pretty shady stuff if you ask me.

Musk is claiming that he contributed a lot to OpenAI in its early days, and that he was promised it would stay non-profit. But now, as a for-profit company, it's making all sorts of money off AI tech that Musk thinks could be used for good, not just profit. It seems pretty clear to me that Musk is upset because he feels like the people in charge of OpenAI cheated him out of his due credit and compensation.

The thing about this case is that there are some serious allegations being thrown around here. If Musk can prove that OpenAI breached its contract with him, or that it engaged in fraudulent practices, then they could be in for a world of trouble. But on the other hand, if OpenAI can show that Musk was just trying to slow down their progress, then he might end up looking like the villain here.

This trial is gonna be super long and complicated, with all sorts of technical and legal mumbo-jumbo being thrown around. It's also got implications for the whole AI industry, because if OpenAI gets off scot-free, it could set a bad precedent for how companies deal with intellectual property and collaboration. Fingers crossed that Musk can prove his case!