Billionaire Elon Musk is demanding $134 billion in "unlawful profits" from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the AI startup benefited from his early support. This was reported by Reuters citing court documents.
Musk asserts that OpenAI gained between $65.5 billion and $109.4 billion from him when he was one of the project's founders in 2015. His investments in Microsoft are estimated at $13.3 billion to $25.1 billion amid the corporation's legal proceedings.
OpenAI has labeled the lawsuit as "baseless" and part of a campaign of "harassment" from the former co-founder.
Musk, who runs the competing project xAI, left the startup in 2018. He claims that OpenAI has strayed from its original mission after becoming a commercial entity.
The entrepreneur stated that his investments accounted for about 60% of the company's seed round. This funding helped OpenAI hire key staff and secure major contracts in its early days.
The estimated damages were calculated by Musk's financial advisor, Si Paul Vazzan.
The case is set to be heard by a jury in April. OpenAI and Microsoft have already requested to shield jurors from "fabricated, unverifiable, and implausible" claims made by the startup's former donor. The companies have also challenged Musk's damage estimates, questioning the validity of his expert's qualifications.
In January, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health for health-related consultations. Medical professionals supported the startup's initiative, while competitors introduced alternatives.