Press Release

EyesOnOpenAI Coalition: CA Attorney General Must Revisit His Deal with OpenAI

05. 06. 2026

Sacramento, CA – The Musk v. Altman trial is revealing new evidence detailing OpenAI’s abandonment of its charitable mission for the sake of profit, says EyesOnOpenAI – a coalition of over 50 labor, philanthropic and civic organizations. In a new letter EyesOnOpenAI delivered to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the coalition implores the AG to revisit the deal his office entered into with OpenAI in light of new evidence coming out of the trial. The deal allowed OpenAI to finalize its for-profit restructure without adequately protecting its nonprofit mission, nor the billions of charitable dollars that come with it. 

“This new evidence about potential governance failures at OpenAI comes at the same time the company is under criminal investigation in Florida for a fatal shooting, is doing deals with the Trump Administration to produce autonomous killing machines and mass surveillance systems, and is undermining attempts to ensure chatbots are safe for kids,” said Catherine Bracy, Founder and CEO of TechEquity and a member of the EyesOnOpenAI coalition. “Does that sound like the behavior of a public-interest charity to you? OpenAI’s pursuit of commercial interests directly conflicts with its nonprofit mission and the commitments it made to Attorney General Bonta and to the public.”

EyesOnOpenAI’s letter outlines a pattern of behavior revealed over the last six months that raises questions about how OpenAI is complying with its legal responsibility to prioritize its nonprofit mission. Specifically, the coalition raises the following concerns about OpenAI’s governance structure: 

  • As demonstrated by evidence coming to light in Musk v Altman, OpenAI’s leadership has evaluated its governance structure through the lens of their own personal gain, demonstrating OpenAI may not have sufficient safeguards in place to prevent conflicts of interest, private enrichment, and self-dealing. 
  • OpenAI’s nonprofit assets may not have been fully accounted for and may have been and continue to be diverted to enrich the for-profit investors, as the trial record indicates a lack of accounting and the prioritization of investors’ interests above all others. 
  • OpenAI’s current board structure does not have sufficient safeguards to preserve independent board oversight, based on troubling text messages Sam Altman exchanged with Microsoft’s Kevin Scott and Satya Nadella that raise serious questions around whether OpenAI’s board is hand-picked by Microsoft. 

“Increasingly, we’re seeing more evidence suggesting OpenAI withheld important facts when it was seeking Attorney General Bonta’s blessing to complete its multi-billion-dollar makeover. If that is the case, AG Bonta can’t let OpenAI get away with this,” said Orson Aguilar, President and CEO of LatinoProsperity and EyesOnOpenAI coalition member. “It’s increasingly clear that it’s up to AG Bonta to ensure OpenAI’s true independent governance over its nonprofit assets—OpenAI certainly isn’t going to take that step on its own.”  

In the letter, the coalition requests that Attorney General Bonta: 

  • Conduct an independent, third-party valuation of the nonprofit’s assets and ensure the nonprofit is allocated what it is owed in light of its current structure and in advance of its planned initial public offering.  
  • Evaluate if the OpenAI Foundation’s current governance structure and adherence to its commitments in the MOU sufficiently safeguard against conflicts and provide independent oversight of the nonprofit assets. 

“With an IPO on the horizon and a high-profile lawsuit unearthing new evidence of OpenAI’s blatant disregard for its nonprofit status, AG Bonta needs to step in and revisit his agreement with OpenAI to protect the public interest and its charitable assets,” said Teri Olle, Director of Economic Security California, a member of the EyesOnOpenAI coalition. “Until AG Bonta intervenes, this will continue to be a potential liability for all current and future OpenAI investors, as well as a total affront to the everyday people AG Bonta has a duty to serve.” 

To access the letter delivered to Attorney General Bonta or speak to members of the EyesOnOpenAI coalition, contact Andrea Nill Sanchez at [email protected].    

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EyesonOpenAI is a coalition of more than 60 California civic groups working to ensure that OpenAI’s nonprofit assets—valued at a minimum of $180 billion—remain under the control of an independent charitable entity that prioritizes public benefit over commercial profits. The coalition was one of the driving forces that pushed the California Attorney General to investigate OpenAI’s conflict of interests, leading to OpenAI’s decision to remain a nonprofit and abandon its plans to formally convert to a for-profit. EyesOnOpenAI wants a future where our nation is not only the epicenter of AI development, but also the model for AI accountability. We want a world in which technology can advance innovation and efficiency, without sacrificing human dignity or public good. Visit our website to learn more.