The lawsuit also includes new plaintiffs, including Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, who has been described as an "injured employee" under California Corporations Code. Zilis, who has close ties to Musk, allegedly raised concerns over OpenAI's dealmaking that were ignored. The lawsuit maintains that OpenAI profited from Musk's early involvement but failed to uphold its nonprofit pledge to make its AI research available to all.
Key takeaways:
- Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, which was withdrawn in July, has been revived in August with new defendants including Microsoft, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and former OpenAI board member and Microsoft VP Dee Templeton.
- The suit alleges that OpenAI is trying to eliminate competitors such as Musk’s AI company, xAI, and is unfairly benefitting from Microsoft’s infrastructure and expertise in a "de facto" merger.
- The complaint alleges that Hoffman's position on the boards of both Microsoft and OpenAI while also a partner at Greylock, the investment firm, gave him a privileged and illicit view into the companies’ dealings.
- The amended complaint also includes Neuralink exec and ex-OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis as a new plaintiff, who has standing as an “injured employee” under California Corporations Code and has raised concerns over OpenAI’s dealmaking internally.