OpenAI has published email exchanges between the company and Elon Musk, claiming that the entrepreneur wanted “full control” of the company.
In a shocking rebuttal, OpenAI has now made several emails public, which allegedly show that Musk knew that OpenAI was going closed-source and that OpenAI would ultimately become a for-profit company.
“He wanted full control”
In ablog postpenned by OpenAI’s founders, the company states that as they discussed turning the company into a for-profit structure, Elon Musk tables the idea of merging OpenAI with Tesla, with the entrepreneur at its helm, in exchange for a hefty $1B investment. As revealed by an email, Elon Musk stated: “We need to go with a much bigger number than $100M to avoid sounding hopeless… I think we should say that we are starting with a $1B funding commitment… I will cover whatever anyone else doesn’t provide.”
The OpenAI blog post goes on to state: “Elon wanted us to merge with Tesla or he wanted full control.”
The email follows with a detailed discussion of how a for-profit venture could work by Musk, showcasing that he not only knew about OpenAI’s intent to turn into a for-profit venture but was also positioning himself as a lynchpin in their plans.
This did not work out, and OpenAI parted ways with Elon Musk, stating that their probability of success was 0. It also calls into question Musk’s knowledge of OpenAI’s intent to go closed-source and turn into a for-profit venture, which he is currently suing them over.
Sayem Ahmed was Dexerto’s Tech Editor in the UK team, leading hardware coverage globally. Sayem is an expert in all things Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and PC components. He has over 10 years of experience, with bylines at Eurogamer, IGN, Trusted Reviews, Kotaku, and many more.
