The latest dispute between OpenAI and Elon Musk has come to light, as OpenAI alleged that Musk wanted full control of the company in discussions about a for-profit structure. Musk reportedly withheld funding in the midst of these discussions, leading to a breakdown in negotiations.
The co-founders of OpenAI, including Sam Altman, revealed that they couldn’t agree to Musk’s terms as they felt it was against the mission of the company to have any individual with absolute control. Musk eventually left OpenAI, stating his plans to build a competitor to Google/DeepMind himself.
Musk suggested merging OpenAI into Tesla, but ultimately decided to leave the company, claiming their probability of success was zero. In a December 2018 email, Musk expressed the need for billions of dollars per year for OpenAI to succeed, a goal which the company acknowledges as challenging.
OpenAI remains focused on advancing their mission, despite the ongoing legal dispute with Musk who has accused the company of becoming a closed-source subsidiary of Microsoft. The future of this high-profile disagreement remains uncertain as both parties stand firm in their positions.
