Elon Musk Files Lawsuit Accusing ChatGPT Maker OpenAI of Deception, Fraud

Elon Musk filed a new lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing them of deceiving him to get his support and abandoning the non-profit’s mission.

The suit, filed Monday in federal court in California, comes after Musk filed a similar suit in March, before withdrawing it in June. OpenAI previously responded that Musk backed its moves to pursue profits and said it intended to “move to dismiss all of Elon’s claims.”

Suit Accuses Altman of ‘Sham Altruism’ To Get Musk’s Investment

Musk’s attorneys accused Altman of exploiting the Tesla (TSLA) CEO’s concerns about potential risks of AI technology in the wrong hands to get Musk to invest in the non-profit vision of OpenAI, meant to create AI technology that would be freely shared with the world. Musk invested roughly $44 million in the first five years of the venture until Sept. 2020, according to the complaint.

“Defendants’ scheme has now become clear: lure Musk with phony philanthropy; exploit his money, stature, and contacts to secure world-class AI scientists to develop leading technology; then feed the non-profit’s lucrative assets into an opaque profit engine and proceed to cash in,” the suit states.

Musk also accuses OpenAI backer Microsoft (MSFT) of being “keen to exploit” OpenAI from the early stages by offering investment capital and discounted cloud computing services. The suit claims Altman used “sham altruism” to lure Musk’s investment, before turning OpenAI into a “personal piggy bank” and a “moneymaking bonanza.”

OpenAI and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comments.