OpenAI announced Friday that it will ask a California judge to deny billionaire Elon Musk's request to block the ChatGPT maker from turning it into a for-profit company.
OpenAI also email and text messages Musk claimed on his website that he initially supported OpenAI's status as a for-profit company, but pulled out of the company after failing to obtain a majority stake and full control.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI, later launched a competing artificial intelligence company, xAI.
In August, Musk sued OpenAI, its CEO Sam Altman, and others, alleging that the company violated the terms of its contract by prioritizing profits over the public interest in promoting AI advancements. In November, he asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland for a preliminary injunction to prevent OpenAI from turning into a for-profit organization.
Musk's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
In an OpenAI blog post, Musk said, “We should compete in the marketplace, not in the courtroom.”
Musk then added Microsoft and other companies as defendants in the lawsuit, alleging that OpenAI was plotting to monopolize the generative artificial intelligence market by eliminating rivals.
OpenAI started as a nonprofit in 2014 and became the face of generative AI with billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft. In October, the company closed a $6.6 billion funding round from investors, which could value the company at $157 billion.
Musk's xAI announced earlier this month that it had raised about $6 billion in equity financing.
OpenAI is working on a plan to reorganize its core business into a for-profit company.
The OpenAI nonprofit will own a minority stake in the for-profit company.
Mr. Rogers is scheduled to hear arguments against Mr. Musk's injunction on January 14th.
