Musk may still have an opportunity to thwart Openai’s conversion to profit
Elon Musk lost The latest battle in a lawsuit against Openai this weekBut it seems that a federal judge gave Musk-and others who oppose the conversion of Openai to profit-reasons for hope.
Musk against Openai, which is also called Microsoft and Openai CEO of SAM Altman as defendants, accuses Openai of abandoning its non -profit mission to ensure the benefits of research in all human intelligence. Openai was founded as a non -profit organization in 2015, but it was transferred to a “profit” structure in 2019, and now seeks to restructure again to the Public Avenue Company.
Musk had sought a preliminary judicial order Openai’s transition to profitability stopped. On Tuesday, a federal judge in northern California, the American Partial Court judge, iPhone Gonzalez Rogers, rejected Musk’s request – but he expressed some judicial concerns about the planned transfer in Openai.
Judge Rogers said in her decision to deny the Zarbian order that “great and unable to” incurred “when the public’s money is used to finance non -profit to profit. It is said It means obtaining billions of dollars as compensation as part of the transition.
Judge Rogers also pointed out that many of the founders participating in Openai, including Altman and President Greg Brockman, have made “foundational obligations” not to use Openai as a way to enrich themselves. In its ruling, Judge Rogers said that the court is ready to submit an urgent trial in the fall of 2025 to resolve the conflicts of the restructuring of companies.
Mark Tiprov, the lawyer who represents Musk, Techcrunch, told the Musk Legal team pleased by the judge’s decision and intends to accept the offer for an urgent trial. Openai did not say whether he would also accept and did not respond immediately to the request of Techcrunch for comment.
Judge Rogers’s comments on Openai’s transfer is not good news for the company.
Tyler Wimr, a lawyer who represents an encryption, is a non -profit organization Amicus summary feet In the case that argues that the conversion of Openai for profit could endanger AI’s safety, Techcrunch told Judge Rogers’s decision to “cloud” of organizational uncertainty on the Openai Board of Directors. He said that the general lawyers in California and Dillauir are already investigating the transition, and that the concerns raised by Judge Rogers may encourage them to investigate more aggressive.
There were some victories for Openai in the rule of Judge Rogers.
Musk’s legal team to show that Openai violated a contract to accept about $ 44 million of donations from Musk, then take steps to convert into profitability, “insufficient for the purposes of the high burden required for a preliminary judicial issuance,” Judge Rogers found. In its decision, the judge indicated that some of the emails submitted as the exhibitions showed Musk itself considers that Openai may become a profitable company one day.
Judge Rogers also said that Musk’s AI, Xai, the claimant in the case, has failed to prove that she would suffer from “unlocked damage” if Openai’s transfer was not canceled. Judge Rogers operations were also canceled through the arguments of the prosecutors that a collaborator or Openai is close and investor, Microsoft, will be lost Interpretated Directorate Laws and that musk stands under the rule of California prohibits self -dealing.
Musk, who was once a major supporter of Openai, put himself as one of the greatest opponents of the company. Xai is competing directly with Openai in the development of Frontier AI models, and MUSK and Altman now find themselves wandering for legal and political authority under a new presidential administration.
The risks are high for Openai. According to what was reported, the company needs to complete its conversion to profit by 2026, or it can be raised some of the recently raised capital. Convert.
At least a former Openai employee is afraid of the effects of artificial intelligence governance that Openai will complete his transition successfully. Speaking to Techcrunch, provided that his identity is not disclosed to protect future job prospects, the former employee said they believe that the start -up transfer may threaten public safety.
Part of the non -profit Openai’s motivation was to ensure that the profit motives did not exceed its mission: ensuring the benefits of research in human artificial intelligence. However, if Openai becomes a traditional profit company, there may be little to prevent it from setting profit priorities above all.
The former employee added that the non -profit Openai structure was one of the main reasons that joined the organization.
Just a few months from now, it should become more clear with the number of obstacles that Openai will overcome her profitable transition. The organizers, preachers of artificial intelligence, and technology investors will see with great interest.
