Musk files new lawsuit against OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman

Musk claims language models exceed scope of OpenAI's Microsoft partnership
Suit: Altman 'flipped the narrative and cashed in' as OpenAI's tech evolved
A similar suit was filed in February but was withdrawn before dismissal bid

Updated: Aug 5, 2024 / 02:09 PM CDT

FILE – Elon Musk arrives at the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on April 13, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors are asking a Delaware judge on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, to vacate her ruling requiring the company to rescind a massive and unprecedented pay package for Musk. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

(NewsNation) — Elon Musk filed a new lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, on Monday, accusing the firm of prioritizing profits and commercial interests over public good.

The latest lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, seeks a judicial determination that OpenAI’s license to Microsoft to use its AI models is null and void. Musk argues that the language models are outside the scope of OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft.

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that once OpenAI’s technology started to transform generative AI, Altman “flipped the narrative and proceeded to cash in.”

In March, OpenAI rebutted Musk’s claims by unveiling emails showing Musk supported plans to create a for-profit entity and a merger that would make it Tesla’s “cash cow.”

The new lawsuit is Musk’s latest attempt to challenge the startup he co-founded in 2015 and left three years later. Since his exit, OpenAI has become the face of genAI, while Musk launched rival startup xAI last year valued at $24 billion in May.

Reuters contributed to this story.