Elon Musk drops lawsuit against ChatGPT-maker OpenAI without explanation
Elon Musk has dropped his lawsuit against OpenAI just ahead of a scheduled Wednesday hearing on the case
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Elon Musk has dropped his lawsuit against OpenAI just ahead of a scheduled Wednesday hearing on the case.
Musk in February sued the San Francisco artificial intelligence company and its CEO Sam Altman over what he said was a betrayal of the ChatGPT maker’s founding aims of benefiting humanity rather than pursuing profits.
In the lawsuit filed in February at San Francisco Superior Court, billionaire Musk said that when he bankrolled OpenAI’s creation, he secured an agreement with Altman and Greg Brockman, the president, to keep the AI company as a nonprofit that would develop technology for the benefit of the public and keep its code open instead of walling it off for private gain.
However, by embracing a close relationship with Microsoft, OpenAI and its top executives set that pact “aflame” and are “perverting” the company’s mission, Musk alleged in the lawsuit.
Most legal experts said Musk's claims — centered around allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unfair business practices — were unlikely to succeed in court. Musk's lawyer filed a notice Tuesday seeking to dismiss the entire case. No explanation was given for why it was being dropped.
Musk's lawyers and OpenAI didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.