Overview

• A group of 12 former OpenAI employees filed an amicus brief on April 11, 2025, supporting Elon Musk’s lawsuit to block OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit public benefit corporation.
• The brief contends that removing the nonprofit’s controlling role would undermine OpenAI’s founding mission to prioritize societal benefit over financial interests.
• The former employees emphasized that the nonprofit structure was key to recruitment and retention, with leadership repeatedly assuring staff of its importance to the company’s ethical goals.
• OpenAI has defended the restructuring, stating that the nonprofit arm will remain intact and benefit from significant financial resources to fund charitable initiatives.
• The case, set for a jury trial in spring 2026, comes as OpenAI faces a deadline to complete its restructuring by the end of 2025 or risk losing critical investment funds.