Sam Altman, left, and Elon Musk.
Muhammed Selim Korkutata | Anadolu | Getty Images
OpenAI on Wednesday filed suit against Elon Musk, claiming the world’s richest person has “tried every tool available to harm” the artificial intelligence company.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal district court that last month blocked Musk’s attempt to stop the nonprofit from transforming into a for-profit entity, is asking for punitive damages from Musk’s actions and an injunction to stop him from interfering further in its operations.
Musk is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owns social media site X as well as OpenAI rival xAI, which he started in 2023.
“Through press attacks, malicious campaigns broadcast to Musk’s more than 200 million followers on the social media platform he controls, a pretextual demand for corporate records, harassing legal claims, and a sham bid for OpenAI’s assets, Musk has tried every tool available to harm OpenAI,” OpenAI said in Wednesday’s filing.
Along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Musk helped to form OpenAI as a research lab in 2015 but later had a public break with the project and has consistently criticized OpenAI’s close alliance with Microsoft.
In February, a Musk-led group offered to buy control of OpenAI for $97.4 billion, a bid that was swiftly rejected. Last month investors backed OpenAI in a round that valued the startup at $300 billion.
“Had OpenAI’s Board genuinely considered the bid as they were obligated to do they would have seen how serious it was,” Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, said in an emailed statement. “It’s telling that having to pay fair market value for OpenAI’s assets allegedly ‘interferes’ with their business plans.”
Musk established xAI months after OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in late 2022. OpenAI said last month that 500 million people use its ChatGPT assistant each week, and the company is on pace for nearly $13 billion in 2025 revenue.
“Musk could not tolerate seeing such success for an enterprise he had abandoned and declared doomed,” OpenAI said in the filing.
Musk said in March that X had acquired xAI in what amounts to a stock swap.
OpenAI asked the court to force Musk to cease his public attacks on the company.
“Musk’s continued attacks on OpenAI, culminating most recently in the fake takeover bid designed to disrupt OpenAI’s future, must cease,” OpenAI said. “Musk should be enjoined from further unlawful and unfair action, and held responsible for the damage he has already caused.”
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