**Elon Musk Takes a Billion-Dollar Stab at OpenAI and Microsoft**
You’d think that with a bank account fat with a net worth of $700 billion, Elon Musk wouldn’t have to worry about making a dent in his wallet. But, it seems even the richest cat in the world can’t let a perceived slight slide by. Bloomberg just reported that Musk is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for a whack of $79 billion to $134 billion in damages, claiming the AI firm ditched its nonprofit mission without so much as a “sorry, mate”.
Apparently, financial economist C. Paul Wazzan thinks Musk is entitled to a juicy chunk of OpenAI’s valuation of $500 billion due to his (dropping it like it’s hot) $38 million seed investment in 2015. That’s a 3,500x return on investment – not bad if you ask me!
Wazzan’s valuation also considers Musk’s contributions to OpenAI’s early crew, including his tech know-how and business savvy. He’s estimated that OpenAI and Microsoft, which owns 27%, have basically profited off Musk’s sweat equity for a cool $65.5 billion to $109.4 billion and $13.3 billion to $25.1 billion respectively.
Now, Musk’s lawyers are arguing that he should get his fair share as an early investor – but the sheer scale of the damages is making it look like this is more about getting one last jab in rather than actually needing the cash. Musk’s already raking it in, remember – his net worth is a whopping $500 billion more than Google co-founder Larry Page’s.
So even if he got the full $134 billion, it’d just be a drop in the ocean for Musk, who had his Tesla shareholders greenlight a $1 trillion pay package in November (yeah, it’s a real thing). Could this lawsuit just be an ongoing game of he-said-she-said with OpenAI, accusing Musk of making outlandish claims? They’ve already sent a stern letter to investors and business partners hinting as much.
As this drama unfolds, we’ll be keeping an eye on the trial in Oakland, California – stay tuned for more on this jaw-dropping case!
