OpenAI exposes Elon Musk’s xAI lawsuit, calls it harassment in viral tweet

OpenAI has asked a federal court to dismiss a trade secrets lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) company, xAI, escalating one of the biggest feuds in the AI industry.

The update follows ChatGPT maker's recent unprecedented milestone as it surpasses Musk-owned space company, SpaceX, in landmark share sale.

In a court filing, OpenAI rejected the accusations, calling the case “groundless” and “a publicity stunt designed to distract from xAI’s own failures.”

The company argued that former employees had every right to leave xAI and join other firms, dismissing the notion that it needed xAI’s data to continue innovating.

For those unversed, the lawsuit, filed in San Francisco last week, accused OpenAI of poaching staff and misusing proprietary information from xAI’s chatbot, Grok, which Musk claims is more advanced than ChatGPT.

OpenAI’s public response on X (formerly Twitter) also drew widespread attention.

“Today, we responded to Elon’s latest harassment tactic dressed up as a lawsuit. OpenAI doesn’t need or want anyone’s trade secrets. We will protect our employees and won’t be intimidated by his attempts to bully them,” the company posted.

The dispute reflects the growing tension between Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before leaving the company, and OpenAI, which he now regularly criticises.