BlockBeats reported that on December 1, Musk's lawyer has applied for a preliminary injunction against OpenAI, several of its co-founders, and its investor and close partner Microsoft, to prevent OpenAI and other designated defendants from engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Musk is one of the co-founders of OpenAI and left the company in 2018 due to disagreements over its direction.
This injunction motion was filed later on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing OpenAI, its CEO Sam Altman, President Greg Brockman, Microsoft, LinkedIn co-founder and former OpenAI board member Reid Hoffman, and former OpenAI board member and Microsoft Vice President Dee Templeton of engaging in various illegal activities and seeking to stop these activities. These accusations include:
· Prevent investors from supporting OpenAI's competitors, such as Musk's AI company xAI;
· Benefit from 'illegally obtained competitive sensitive information' through OpenAI's relationship with Microsoft;
· Transform OpenAI's governance structure into a for-profit structure and 'transfer any material assets, including intellectual property owned, held or controlled by OpenAI, Inc., its subsidiaries or affiliates';
· Coerce OpenAI into conducting business with any organization that has 'significant economic interests' with any defendant.
The lawyer stated that if the injunction is not granted, it would cause 'irreparable harm'. Musk previously argued in a lawsuit that he was defrauded of over $44 million, claiming that the funds he donated to OpenAI were made using his 'well-known concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence'.