Elon Musk, cochair of the AI company OpenAI when it was founded in December 2015, disclosed that he was offered shares in the organization at various points. However, Musk stated that it seemed unethical or even illegal to accept them. He had pledged $1 billion to the project, which was established as a nonprofit with a focus on developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.

Musk's decision not to accept the shares was motivated by uncertainties around the legality of the company's structure. Although he did not specify the timeline of the offer, the number of shares, or the source of the offer, Musk departed from OpenAI in 2018, resigning from its board to prevent potential conflicts related to Tesla's focus on AI. Musk later claimed that he left the organization due to disagreements with the OpenAI team.

Representatives for OpenAI have not yet responded to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was made outside of normal working hours. Last year, Musk criticized OpenAI for what he perceived as a shift towards a profit-driven focus, particularly pointing out the company's multibillion-dollar partnership with Microsoft. This move, Musk stated, deviated from his original intention for OpenAI.

Elon Musk launched his AI company just last year and introduced a chatbot that competes directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT. His continued criticism of OpenAI underscores his ongoing interest and involvement in the field of artificial intelligence.