Elon Musk has reinitiated legal action against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in a federal court.

In a photograph taken on March 14, 2024, in Ankara, Turkey, the OpenAI logo is shown on a mobile phone, with images of Elon Musk and Sam Altman displayed on a computer screen in the background. This image was captured by Muhammed Selim Korkutata for Anadolu and featured by Getty Images.

Elon Musk has reinitiated a federal lawsuit against Sam Altman, claiming that he was misled into co-founding OpenAI. According to a court document released on Monday, Musk alleges that Altman and current OpenAI President Greg Brockman deceived him into joining the artificial intelligence company under the pretense that it would operate as a nonprofit. Musk asserts that after he invested millions, he was “betrayed” by Altman and his associates, who, along with Microsoft, created a complex network of for-profit OpenAI entities and engaged in self-serving practices. The lawsuit describes the alleged deceit as being of “Shakespearean proportions.”

These allegations mirror those in a previous lawsuit Musk filed against OpenAI and Altman in California earlier this year, which he later withdrew. Musk has been outspoken about his concerns regarding artificial intelligence and its potential risks to humanity. In the latest lawsuit, filed in a Northern California district court, Musk claims he was “manipulated” by Altman and Brockman, who promised that OpenAI would pursue a safer, more transparent path compared to profit-driven tech companies. Altman allegedly assured Musk that the nonprofit status would ensure a focus on safety and openness for the greater good, rather than shareholder profit. However, Musk now describes these promises as “hot-air philanthropy” and part of Altman’s deceptive scheme.

CNBC has reached out to Tesla, OpenAI, and Microsoft for comments on the lawsuit, which also implicates Microsoft. The lawsuit claims that Microsoft, despite OpenAI’s nonprofit status, sought to gain influence by making OpenAI reliant on its cloud computing services. Although Musk reportedly had a favorable view of Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, he felt that the values of Microsoft and OpenAI did not align. Microsoft is noted as the largest investor in OpenAI, having invested an estimated $13 billion. The lawsuit alleges that Microsoft has systematically increased its influence over OpenAI over the years.

This report includes contributions from CNBC’s Jordan Novet.