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 gather opposition research on Altman and sharing them with potential investors and partners.
The conflict between Musk and OpenAI has deep historical roots. Musk co-founded 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.
OpenAI’s decision to appeal to California and Delaware authorities is notable given Musk’s history with both states. For years, Musk has accused both jurisdictions of bias against him and his companies. In response, he relocated Tesla and SpaceX headquarters from California to Texas and reincorporated his Delaware-based businesses in Nevada and Texas.
Sam Altman is the subject of a fascinating article written by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz, who chronicle Altman’s stormy relationship wtih Musk and other AI leaders, along wtih his sociopathic tendencies.
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.
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