The Mystery of Elon Musk's Donations to OpenAI Unveiled

Elon Musk's frustration with OpenAI has been evident since he stepped down from its board in 2018. He criticized the organization's transformation from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity, likening it to a rainforest-saving organization becoming a lumber company.

Initially claiming to have donated around $100 million to OpenAI, Musk later revised that figure to around $50 million. However, an investigation revealed that only $15 million of donations could be definitively traced back to him.

Musk's donations to OpenAI included a $10 million contribution through the Musk Foundation and a gift of Tesla vehicles worth $248,295. He may have also donated through a donor-advised fund, but the exact amount is unknown.

Other notable donors to OpenAI included Sam Altman, who loaned and forgave $3.75 million, and Reid Hoffman, whose foundation gave $6 million. Amazon, Microsoft, and Infosys also made contributions, but the exact amounts remain undisclosed.

OpenAI's computing costs skyrocketed, leading to a switch from Amazon to Google and a subsequent $63 million agreement. In 2019, Microsoft invested around $1 billion in the for-profit OpenAI entity, with half in the form of Azure credits.

Musk and another major donor, Dustin Moskovitz, expressed skepticism about OpenAI's direction. Moskovitz even suggested that their involvement may have slowed progress. However, Reid Hoffman's foundation invested $50 million in the for-profit venture.

After Musk's departure, OpenAI welcomed new board members who became donors. The organization received a $30 million gift from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The total non-Musk contributions amounted to $75.8 million out of $133.2 million.

In conclusion, Musk likely donated around $57.4 million to OpenAI, significantly less than his initial claim of $100 million. The actual amount remains uncertain due to potential anonymous donations and undisclosed contributions from other donors.