OpenAI may be drifting away from its original spirit — the one that inspired scientists and top talent to dream of an artificial intelligence built for the good of all.
Twelve former key figures at the company, including engineers and managers who worked there until 2024, have officially backed Elon Musk in his lawsuit against the lab’s new direction.
In the court filing, they speak clearly: if the nonprofit side of OpenAI loses control of the project, it’s not just a technicality — it’s a complete betrayal of its founding mission. They argue it would be a slap in the face to those who donated money, time, and expertise truly believing in the idea of AI for the common good.
One of them, Todor Markov, now at Anthropic, was even more blunt. He called Sam Altman “a person of low integrity” and said the nonprofit model was just a lure to attract talent. A strong claim that, if validated, could seriously impact the case.
If the court accepts this brief, the situation could become complicated for OpenAI. The company, meanwhile, maintains that the restructuring simply aims to make the commercial side more efficient by becoming a public benefit corporation, without changing its original mission.
But the real question remains: can we still trust them?
Or is this just another case where “benefit” is just business in disguise?
