OpenAI responded this week to Elon Musk’s accusations, revealing emails that contradicted Musk’s claim that the startup had allegedly deviated from its original mission. The disclosed emails indicated that Musk supported OpenAI’s plan to establish a for-profit entity and even proposed a merger that would position Tesla as its “cash cow.”
Elon Musk. Image credit: UK Government, Picture by Picture by Marcel Grabowski via Flickr, CC BY 2.0
In a lawsuit filed by Musk last week, he alleged that OpenAI had violated their founding agreement to develop artificial intelligence for the betterment of humanity rather than profit, particularly by partnering with Microsoft.
In response, OpenAI’s co-founders, including Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever, announced their intention to dismiss all of Musk’s claims. They expressed disappointment in the situation with someone they deeply admired, emphasizing Musk’s role in inspiring them to aim higher.
The co-founders recounted Musk’s progression from encouraging them to setting up a competing venture and, ultimately, suing them as they made meaningful progress towards OpenAI’s mission without his involvement.
OpenAI clarified that the decision to adopt a for-profit entity in 2017 was a strategic move. They realized that their non-profit structure would not adequately support the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI), a concept involving machines handling tasks similarly to humans.
According to OpenAI, discussions with Elon Musk about transitioning to a for-profit structure to advance their mission led to disagreements over terms, with Musk expressing interest in merging OpenAI with Tesla or gaining full control.
OpenAI opposed granting any individual absolute control over the organization, which conflicted with their mission. In early 2018, Musk suggested attaching OpenAI to Tesla as its “cash cow,” stating that Tesla was the only path capable of competing with Google.
Emails from Musk indicated his agreement that OpenAI’s mission didn’t require sharing all technologies, including AGI. He concurred with the idea of being less open as AI development progressed.
Tesla’s shares dropped nearly 4% following these developments.
OpenAI also claimed that Musk had urged aggressive fundraising, pushing for a $1 billion round in 2015, while Altman and Brockman initially planned for $100 million. Despite Musk’s influence, OpenAI raised less than $45 million from him.