Elon Musk Adds Microsoft to His Lawsuit Against ChatGPT Maker OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, New Allegations Claim

Elon Musk has stepped up his legal battle against OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. In a new lawsuit filed Nov. 14, he expanded his claims to include antitrust allegations and added Microsoft and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman as defendants.
The amended complaint, filed in federal court in Northern California, also includes Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and former OpenAI board member Siobhan Zilis as plaintiffs. Zilis, who is now the head of Musk’s company Neuralink, has raised concerns about OpenAI’s leadership during her time on the board.
The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI, in partnering with Microsoft, deviated from its original non-commercial mission to prioritize commercial interests. Musk claims this led to anti-competitive behavior, including limiting funding to rival AI companies and sharing confidential information. The addition of Hoffman and Microsoft to the lawsuit is due to their dual involvement in both companies, which Musk claims violates antitrust laws.

Elon Musk’s lawsuit against ChatGPT under US racketeering laws

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sued OpenAI in March in San Francisco state court, then withdrew the lawsuit without explanation. Seven weeks later, he filed a new lawsuit in federal court, alleging that OpenAI violated federal racketeering laws by conspiring to defraud him.
As in the original lawsuit, the federal complaint alleged that OpenAI and its two founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, violated the company’s founding agreement by putting commercial interests ahead of the public good.
The suit alleged that after teaming up with “Mr. Musk to create OpenAI in 2015 and committing to thoroughly advance artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, Mr. Altman and Mr. Brockman abandoned that mission by entering into a multibillion-dollar partnership with Microsoft.” Musk stepped away from OpenAI in 2018, prior to the creation of this partnership.
While OpenAI and Hoffman have yet to respond, Microsoft declined to comment. This latest legal move deepens the rift between Musk and OpenAI, highlighting growing tensions in the AI ​​industry.