In August, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit over alleged preferential treatment of ChatGPT on Apple’s App Store.
OpenAI has also created a microsite titled, “The truth about Elon Musk and OpenAI”
Photo Credit: Reuters
More than a month after Elon Musk's xAI filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for anticompetitive behaviour and stealing the company's trade secrets, the San Francisco-based AI firm has finally responded to the allegations publicly. On Thursday, the company published its documents that it presented to the court, answering the allegations as well as seeking a motion to dismiss the case. The AI giant also called Musk's move his “latest harassment tactic dressed up as a lawsuit,” and alleged that the billionaire is bullying OpenAI employees.
The relationship between OpenAI and Musk have never been pleasant, but now, the war of words on social media have turned into an intense courtroom battle. On Thursday, the official handle of the AI firm posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), responding to the allegations made by xAI. The company has also made two court documents public, first is a "notice of motion to dismiss, or in the alternative, to strike allegations from complaint," and the second is "OpenAI's answers and affirmative defenses."
Alleging that Musk's lawsuit is aimed at slowing down OpenAI for his "personal benefits," the company mentioned in the document that "OpenAI does not need or want anyone's—much less xAI's—
trade secrets to achieve OpenAI's mission." This was in reference to the allegation that the AI firm is hiring xAI employees in an attempt to steal xAI's trade secrets to advance its AI models. The document also claimed that Musk is trying to bully these employees with the lawsuit.
OpenAI also claimed that several xAI employees that left the company did so after Grok "reportedly published a number of antisemitic posts, including calling itself MechaHitler." The document highlights that those employees who joined OpenAI exercised their statutory right and were hired in a legal manner.
The allegation of stealing trade secrets from xAI is one of many such lawsuits Musk has filed against OpenAI. The company is already battling a case alongside Apple, where Musk has alleged that ChatGPT gets preferential treament on the App Store, calling it an anticompetitive measure. Musk has also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI's decision to create a for-profit entity, saying that it goes against its charter and the best interest of its investors and users.
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