Elon Musk's lawyers claim he doesn't use a computer—despite the allegations
Elon Musk’s legal team is asserting that the billionaire "does not use a computer" in response to accusations from OpenAI. These accusations claim that Musk failed to comply with the discovery process in his lawsuit against the company. This filing is part of Musk’s wider legal battle which accuses OpenAI and Sam Altman of deviating from their nonprofit origins.
Legal Battle
According to Musk’s attorneys, the billionaire does not use a computer, a statement aimed at countering OpenAI's claim that Musk did not fulfill the discovery process in the lawsuit against them. In a letter addressed to the judge overseeing the case in Oakland, Musk's lawyer, Jaymie Parkkinen, disputed OpenAI's assertion that Musk's legal team had no intentions of collecting documents from Musk or xAI, his competing artificial intelligence firm.
Parkkinen clarified in the letter that Musk's attorneys had informed OpenAI about searches being conducted on Musk’s mobile phone and emphasized that Musk himself does not utilize a computer.
Evidence of Computer Usage
Despite these claims, there are several instances of public evidence suggesting that Musk does, in fact, use a computer. For example, in a recent statement on X, Musk mentioned, "Still using my ancient PC laptop with the @DOGE sticker made long ago by a fan." Additionally, Musk shared an image of a computer in a separate post, confirming it as his laptop.
Former X employees who spoke to Wired anonymously also revealed that while Musk usually prefers working from his phone, they have witnessed him occasionally using a laptop.
Legal Dispute with OpenAI
The filing is part of an ongoing case where Musk is suing Sam Altman and OpenAI. Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, has accused his former colleagues of straying from the company's initial mission to develop artificial intelligence for the betterment of humanity. Musk's lawsuit in San Francisco alleges that OpenAI has evolved into a "closed-source" extension of Microsoft, prioritizing profits over public welfare.
Musk's allegations against OpenAI include breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair business practices. His demands include urging the company to return to open-source principles and obtaining an injunction preventing OpenAI executives from profiting from AGI.
GPT-4 and Commercial Interests
Musk also asserts that OpenAI's latest model, GPT-4, could potentially qualify as artificial general intelligence. He claims that the design of GPT-4 remains undisclosed due to commercial interests.
Musk, who has contributed over $44 million to the nonprofit, argues that his support has been manipulated to benefit a for-profit enterprise now valued at $80 billion. He likens the situation to donating to a nonprofit focused on preserving the Amazon rainforest only to discover it created a for-profit logging company.
For more information on this story, visit Fortune.com.
