Elon Musk’s frustration with OpenAI has been no secret since his departure from its board in 2018. Recently, Musk voiced his concerns in an open letter, urging the organization to pause work on more powerful AI systems. In a CNBC interview following a Tesla shareholder’s meeting, Musk criticized the transformation of OpenAI from a nonprofit, open-source entity to a for-profit, closed-source organization.

Musk drew an analogy, stating, “This would be like, let’s say you funded an organization to save the Amazon rainforest, and instead they became a lumber company, and chopped down the forest and sold it for money.” The weight of his criticism stems from his involvement in the launch of OpenAI. However, the extent of his support remains uncertain even to Musk himself.

In mid-March, Musk tweeted, “I’m still confused as to how a non-profit to which I donated ~$100M somehow became a $30B market cap for-profit. If this is legal, why doesn’t everyone do it?” However, in a CNBC interview, he revised his claim, stating that he was unsure of the exact amount but estimated it to be around $50 million.

TechCrunch conducted an investigation into the funding of OpenAI and Musk’s contributions. Analysis of IRS filings and state regulator documents revealed that the reported $100 million donation from Musk could not be substantiated. Only approximately $15 million in donations tied directly to Musk were traced.

The investigation also shed light on other contributions to OpenAI, including Reid Hoffman’s involvement and free Teslas provided to early OpenAI engineers. Additionally, the skyrocketing computing costs prompted a $1 billion investment from Microsoft. The financial side of OpenAI has been opaque since its inception, with a reported total donation amount of $133.2 million.

While the exact extent of Musk’s contributions to OpenAI remains uncertain, the investigation suggests that his donations were likely in the range of $57.4 million. The discrepancy between his original claim and the actual amount is relatively insignificant given Musk’s overall financial standing.

Musk’s criticisms and questions about OpenAI’s funding and transformation into a for-profit organization raise important considerations about transparency and accountability in the field of AI research and development.

Elon Musk’s frustration with OpenAI has been no secret since his departure from its board in 2018. Recently, Musk voiced his concerns in an open letter, urging the organization to pause work on more powerful AI systems. In a CNBC interview following a Tesla shareholder’s meeting, Musk criticized the transformation of OpenAI from a nonprofit, open-source entity to a for-profit, closed-source organization.

Musk drew an analogy, stating, “This would be like, let’s say you funded an organization to save the Amazon rainforest, and instead they became a lumber company, and chopped down the forest and sold it for money.” The weight of his criticism stems from his involvement in the launch of OpenAI. However, the extent of his support remains uncertain even to Musk himself.

In mid-March, Musk tweeted, “I’m still confused as to how a non-profit to which I donated ~$100M somehow became a $30B market cap for-profit. If this is legal, why doesn’t everyone do it?” However, in a CNBC interview, he revised his claim, stating that he was unsure of the exact amount but estimated it to be around $50 million.

TechCrunch conducted an investigation into the funding of OpenAI and Musk’s contributions. Analysis of IRS filings and state regulator documents revealed that the reported $100 million donation from Musk could not be substantiated. Only approximately $15 million in donations tied directly to Musk were traced.

The investigation also shed light on other contributions to OpenAI, including Reid Hoffman’s involvement and free Teslas provided to early OpenAI engineers. Additionally, the skyrocketing computing costs prompted a $1 billion investment from Microsoft. The financial side of OpenAI has been opaque since its inception, with a reported total donation amount of $133.2 million.

While the exact extent of Musk’s contributions to OpenAI remains uncertain, the investigation suggests that his donations were likely in the range of $57.4 million. The discrepancy between his original claim and the actual amount is relatively insignificant given Musk’s overall financial standing.

Musk’s criticisms and questions about OpenAI’s funding and transformation into a for-profit organization raise important considerations about transparency and accountability in the field of AI research and development.