Musk has accused OpenAI CEO Altman of deception and is seeking his removal via court action. This isn’t the entrepreneur’s first lawsuit against the company; a year prior, OpenAI itself sued Musk, citing pressure from him.
American entrepreneur Elon Musk is pursuing the removal of OpenAI head Sam Altman through legal proceedings that might commence as early as April, according to CNBC.
As detailed in a motion filed on Tuesday, Musk’s legal team has requested that, should the company’s leadership be found at fault, Altman be dismissed from his role as a director on OpenAI’s non-profit board, and both he and Greg Brockman be removed from their executive positions within the commercial arm.
The court document states, “The plaintiff will seek the removal of Altman from the director position of the non-profit organization OpenAI, as well as the removal of Altman and Brockman from executive roles within the commercial organization OpenAI.”
Musk is also demanding that OpenAI revert to a fully non-profit operational model.
The litigation stems from a lawsuit filed by Musk in 2024. He alleges that the artificial intelligence development company, which he co-founded over a decade ago, “diligently manipulated” him and deceived him into contributing $38 million by promising the organization would remain non-profit.
OpenAI has refuted the entrepreneur’s claims. The company suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to exert pressure on a competitor. A company statement declared, “The reality is that this entire case is about Elon seeking more power and money to achieve his goals. His lawsuit amounts to nothing more than an ego-driven, envious smear campaign seeking to stunt a competitor’s progress.”
Musk served as a co-chair of OpenAI alongside its current CEO, Sam Altman. The company was established in 2015. Musk departed OpenAI’s board of directors in 2018. Five years later, he launched his own AI firm, xAI, and in 2024, initiated legal proceedings against Altman. The central dispute revolves around Altman’s commercial plans for managing the company, including its partnership with Microsoft.
In January 2026, Musk brought a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, demanding compensation ranging from $79 billion to $134 billion. Musk contends that OpenAI, originally framed as non-profit, has abandoned these tenets, evidenced in part by its collaboration with Microsoft.
OpenAI, in turn, has indicated that Musk’s repeated lawsuits are attempts to “slow down” the company’s progress and promote his own xAI venture, noting that he systematically misrepresents facts as part of this strategy. A year ago, the company took legal action itself due to persistent pressure from Musk.
By the end of February 2026, OpenAI secured an additional $110 billion in investment, solidifying its position in the AI race. The company’s total valuation is now estimated at $730 billion. The Financial Times dubbed this development the largest funding round for a startup in history.
Concurrently, OpenAI is preparing for a potential public stock offering by the close of 2026. To facilitate this and support its products and ongoing expansion, the company dedicated the majority of the prior year to securing substantial computing resources.
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