Elon Musk slams OpenAI again: ‘Built on a lie. They stole a charity!’ over non-profit status
Elon Musk criticised OpenAI on Oct 11, calling it “built on a lie,” after retweeting ex-board member Helen Toner’s post highlighting dishonesty and intimidation in the company. He claimed the non-profit was misused for financial gain, raising questions about AI governance and transparency.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has taken aim at OpenAI once again, describing the AI research organisation as “built on a lie”.
Elon Musk Slams OpenAI Again
On Saturday, Musk retweeted a post by Helen Toner, a former board member of OpenAI, who shared her candid views on the company. Toner wrote: “Every so often, OpenAI employees ask me how I see the co now. It's always tough to give a simple answer. Some things they're doing, eg on CoT monitoring or building out system cards, are great. But the dishonesty & intimidation tactics in their policy work are really not.”
Musk added his own commentary to the post, writing simply: “OpenAI is built on a lie.”
Controversy Over Non-Profit Status
The exchange sparked reactions on X, with one user questioning, “Wasn’t it supposed to be a non-profit?” Musk responded sharply, claiming: “They stole a charity and used it for their own financial gain.”
This marks the latest in a series of public criticisms by Musk, who has long expressed concerns about AI governance and the transparency of organisations like OpenAI.
Musk Criticises Proposed For-Profit Transition
To recall, the Tesla CEO criticised OpenAI last month over reports that the company may be planning to transform its non-profit structure into a for-profit entity, calling such a move “illegal.”
The remarks came in response to claims that OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is considering restructuring its core operations as a for-profit benefit corporation. Reacting on X, Musk stated: “You can’t just convert a non-profit into a for-profit. That is illegal.”
According to to a Bloomberg report, the proposed plan could see OpenAI CEO Sam Altman receive a seven per cent stake in the company as it transitions towards a for-profit model.
OpenAI was established in 2015 as a non-profit organisation focused on AI research. In 2019, it created OpenAI LP, a for-profit subsidiary, which allowed the company to attract investment from Microsoft to fund its development projects.
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