Elon Musk has launched a fresh attack on OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman, accusing the artificial intelligence organisation of effectively stealing a charity and converting it for private financial gain.
The tech billionaire shared a post on X by consultant Jess Fields, adding his own blunt verdict: "They stole a nonprofit. It's not right."
The post included an old video filmed during Altman's time at startup accelerator YCombinator, in which he interviewed Musk about OpenAI before Altman himself had joined the organisation. In the clip, Altman refers to OpenAI as a company, to which Musk immediately corrects him, pointing out that it was structured as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The exchange has since gone viral, with many viewers drawing their own conclusions about how OpenAI's identity and ambitions may have shifted over the years.
This is far from the first time Musk has trained his sights on OpenAI. Last October, he shared a post by Helen Toner, a former OpenAI board member who had expressed reservations about the organisation's direction, adding his own commentary: "OpenAI is built on a lie."
In a separate exchange with a user on X, Musk went further, stating plainly: "They stole a charity and used it for their own financial gain."
OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to responsible AI research for the benefit of humanity. Its subsequent evolution towards a more commercially driven structure has drawn sustained criticism from Musk and others concerned about transparency and ethical governance in the AI industry. As the debate around AI accountability intensifies globally, the feud between two of the tech world's most powerful figures shows no sign of cooling.
Elon Musk and Sam Altman are going to court over OpenAI's future
Meanwhile, Elon Musk and Sam Altman are set for a dramatic courtroom showdown over claims of betrayal and ambition that fractured their shared vision for artificial intelligence. Jury selection begins Monday in a high-profile trial rooted in the founding of OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit, largely backed by Musk. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI later abandoned its altruistic mission, transforming into a for-profit powerhouse now valued at an estimated $852 billion. Musk contends Altman, OpenAI's CEO, double-crossed him by steering the company away from its promise to prioritize humanity's interests over profit.
