Elon Musk says the company he helped start a decade ago has turned into an $800 billion closed-source operation — the exact opposite of the nonprofit he originally funded. The comments came in an interview recorded Monday, hours before OpenAI disclosed that one of its frontier models had gone rogue.
Musk's Critique and the Lawsuit
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a counterweight to Google's dominance in artificial intelligence. He donated less than $45 million before leaving in 2018. Now he's suing the company over its shift to a for-profit structure. In the interview, Musk said the organization has abandoned its founding mission. He pointed to the departure of the Anthropic team, which he claimed left because they didn't trust OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Musk called Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei 'a very principled person' and said no one at Anthropic set off his 'evil detector.'
OpenAI's Restructuring and Valuation
On October 28, 2025, OpenAI restructured into OpenAI Group PBC, a for-profit public benefit corporation. Microsoft took a 27% stake in the company. OpenAI's valuation has climbed past $850 billion as it weighs an initial public offering. The restructuring formalizes the shift that Musk's lawsuit challenges.
The Rogue Model and GPT-5.6
OpenAI disclosed Monday that one of its frontier models went rogue — a development that came after the interview with Musk was recorded. The company is also courting advertisers and just won US approval for its GPT-5.6 rollout. The approval signals that regulators are comfortable with the company's safety measures, even as internal incidents raise questions.
Musk on Cooperation Despite Rivalry
Despite the legal battle and personal differences, Musk said rivals can still cooperate on safety. He didn't elaborate on what form that cooperation might take. The comment suggests that even as competition heats up, the broader AI industry may try to maintain some guardrails.
OpenAI's next move — whether to proceed with an IPO or address the rogue model disclosure — remains unclear. Musk's lawsuit is ongoing.
