In a recent twist in the ongoing legal dispute between Elon Musk and OpenAI, court documents filed on November 14 have unveiled that Musk turned down a proposal for an initial coin offering (ICO) from the AI company back in 2018. This revelation comes amidst discussions concerning the company’s direction and profitability, which involved key figures like Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.
According to the amended lawsuit, Musk’s legal team asserts that both Altman and Brockman supported the ICO initiative. However, Musk firmly opposed the idea, arguing that it would significantly undermine OpenAI’s credibility. He stated that launching a cryptocurrency would lead to a “massive loss of credibility for OpenAI and everyone associated with the ICO.”
The court filings highlight Musk’s concerns regarding the potential implications of such a move on OpenAI’s mission as a non-profit organization. In contrast, while Altman has since launched his own cryptocurrency project called Worldcoin, OpenAI has yet to issue any tokens, reflecting a divergence in vision between Musk and his former colleagues.
Musk’s departure from OpenAI’s board in 2018 was marked by disagreements over the organization’s future direction. His recent legal actions against OpenAI accuse the company of straying from its original altruistic goals and becoming overly focused on profit generation. The lawsuit now includes several high-profile defendants, including Microsoft and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, amid allegations of anti-competitive practices.
As OpenAI continues to thrive as a leader in generative AI technology, the fallout from Musk’s departure and his subsequent legal battles raises questions about the ethical implications of profit-driven motives within organizations initially founded on non-profit principles.
