OpenAI Countersues Elon Musk, Accuses Him of Trying to Take Control

The ongoing legal battle between OpenAI and its co-founder Elon Musk has taken a new turn. OpenAI has filed a countersuit against Musk, claiming he is using unfair tactics to take control of the company and slow down its progress for his own benefit, BBC reported. 

OpenAI stated that Musk has been spreading false information and acting in bad faith. According to the company, his actions are not in the interest of public welfare but rather aimed at gaining personal control over powerful AI technologies.

This legal fight began after Elon Musk sued OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last year. Musk claimed that OpenAI had strayed from its original mission as a non-profit organization working to develop AI for the benefit of humanity. He was unhappy with OpenAI’s move towards becoming a for-profit company.

Last week, a US federal judge in California refused to temporarily stop OpenAI’s corporate restructuring and set a trial date for March 2026. The judge also said that Elon Musk would be required to testify in the case.

Meanwhile, Musk has launched his own AI company called XAI, which recently merged with his social media platform X (formerly Twitter). He has claimed that this new company, XAI Holdings, is now valued at over $100 billion. In February, Musk offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion, but the offer was publicly rejected by Altman, who jokingly responded with: “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

Musk’s lawyer, Marc Toberoff, criticized OpenAI for not considering the offer seriously. He accused the company of trying to make all the decisions internally, without truly acting in the public’s interest.

Experts believe that the legal battle is distracting from more important issues. Ari Lightman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said this fight is more about control and money than about making AI safe and fair. “The goal of building safe and equal AI is being pushed aside,” he added