Elon Musk attempted to gain control of OpenAI, suggesting the company could be passed to his children after his death, according to testimony from Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI.
Altman testified in a federal court in Oakland, California, where he is being sued by Musk, who accuses him of mismanaging a charity that initially funded OpenAI. Altman said Musk wanted control of the company for the long term and proposed several ways to achieve it, including becoming CEO and gaining more seats on the board.
OpenAI Control
Altman recalled a conversation where Musk suggested OpenAI become a subsidiary of Tesla, his electric vehicle company, with the goal of getting “more money faster.” Musk allegedly believed his fame and business reputation would help OpenAI secure financial backing, saying “If I make one tweet about this, it’s instantly worth a ton.”
However, Altman and other OpenAI co-founders decided against giving Musk control, citing concerns about the company’s mission and pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Altman said he was “extremely uncomfortable” with the idea of one person controlling AGI, which is defined as an AI tool that outperforms humans on most tasks.
Musk ultimately left OpenAI in 2018 and stopped his quarterly donations to the company. Altman testified that Musk sent an email stating OpenAI had a “zero percent chance” of success without him. When offered the opportunity to invest in OpenAI’s for-profit subsidiary in 2019, Musk declined, saying he would only invest in startups he controlled.
Implications
The lawsuit highlights the tensions between Musk and OpenAI’s co-founders over the company’s direction and control. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the future of OpenAI and the development of AGI.
The dispute also raises questions about the role of individual control and ownership in the development of advanced technologies like AI. As the tech industry continues to evolve, the issue of who should control and shape the direction of companies like OpenAI will become increasingly important.
