Why are you suing OpenAI / what happened with OpenAI?

How the answer evolved · oldest first

1. Nov 29, 2023 · DealBook Summit · asked by Andrew Ross Sorkin

   Q: There was a whole other series of headlines at OpenAI. What did you think?

   Co founder. Yeah. Well. Well, the. The whole arc of OpenAI, frankly, is a little troubling because the. The reason for starting OpenAI was to create a counter. Counterweight to Google and DeepMind, which at the time had 2/3 of all AI talent and basically infinite money and compute. And there was no. There was no counterweight. It was unipolar world. And Larry and Paige and I used to be very close friends, and I …

   Watch at 0:45:46 ↗Transcript ↗Timestamp cross-checked

2. Dec 21, 2023 · X Spaces: Cathie Wood & Elon Musk · asked by Cathie Wood

   Q: Do you have any thoughts about that and about open versus closed generally when it comes to AI?

   Sure. Well, I mean, I think a lot of people know that I was instrumental in the creation of OpenAI and in fact I came up with the Name the opening. OpenAI means open source. Yes, and started as an open source nonprofit. And the reason I wanted to create it was to establish a counterweight to Google DeepMind because it was a unipolar world at that point Google DeepMind had probably 2/3 or more of the top AI talent …

   Watch at 0:46:42 ↗Transcript ↗Timestamp from archive, not cross-checked

3. Oct 7, 2024 · Tucker Carlson · asked by Tucker Carlson

   Q: How concerned is Sam Altman about annihilation, do you think?

   I think in reality he's not concerned about it. I don't trust OpenAI. I mean I started that company as a nonprofit. Open source. Yes, the open in OpenAI. I named a company, I named the company. Yeah, OpenAI as an open source. And it is now extremely closed source and maximizing profit. So there's risk. I don't understand how you actually go from being an open source nonprofit to a closed source for maximum profit …

   Watch on X at 1:30:53 ↗Transcript ↗Unverified timestamp: from archive transcript, not checked against the X video

4. Feb 13, 2025 · World Governments Summit · asked by Moderator

   Q: Or was it wishful thinking in the beginning and then, you know, you guys parted ways because it couldn't work?

   Well, I mean, I think the evidence is there in that OpenAI has gotten this far while having at least a sort of dual profit nonprofit role. What they're trying to do now is completely delete the nonprofit. And that seems really going too far. I provided all of the funding for OpenAI in the beginning for the first, almost $50 million for nothing as a nonprofit. And it was meant to be open source. And so I think this …

   Watch at 0:17:27 ↗Transcript ↗Timestamp from archive, not cross-checked

5. May 20, 2025 · Qatar Economic Forum · asked by Qatar Forum Interviewer

   Q: Does that mean you are pushing ahead with the lawsuit against OpenAI?

   Yes. So I came up with the name OpenAI as an open source and as a non profit. And I funded AI OpenAI for the first roughly $50 million. And it was intended to be a non profit, open source company and now is. They're trying to change that for their own financial benefit into a for profit company that is closed source. So this would be like, let's say you funded a nonprofit to help preserve the Amazon rainforest, but …

   Watch at 0:15:57 ↗Transcript ↗Timestamp cross-checked

In his own posts on X

• @elonmusk · Oct 2, 2024

  @SERobinsonJr @xai @OpenAI It’s my building. That’s where we created OpenAI (as an open source, non-profit!!) and Neuralink.

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• @elonmusk · Apr 7, 2026

  OpenAI’s Nonprofit to Get Any Damages From Lawsuit https://t.co/SVXdEVFCWD

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