Microsoft executives aggressively influenced the AI startup’s quick transformation from a conservative charity into one of the most valuable companies in technology, according to recently revealed internal documents from Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The documents, which were made public through legal discovery, provide a unique window into the business strategies that turned OpenAI from a small research facility into a $500 billion enterprise.
After looking through the trove of emails, notes, and texts, journalist Todd Bishop of GeekWire discovered that Microsoft’s executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, actively pushed for revenue during pivotal points in OpenAI’s growth.
Microsoft’s “Cap” Concerns
According to the records, Microsoft became involved when OpenAI underwent a significant shift in 2019 from a nonprofit to a “capped” for-profit organization. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood asked whether the profit cap was significant in an email sent to a group that included Nadella on July 14, 2019: “Given the cap is actually larger than 90% of public companies, I am not sure it is terribly constraining nor terribly altruistic but that is Sam’s call on his cap.”
By February 2021, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had made clear the company’s commercial ambitions while Microsoft sought more financing. In an email to Microsoft, Altman stated that he wanted “to make you all a bunch of money as quickly as we can and for you to be enthusiastic about making this additional investment soon.” He also stated that he intended “to do everything we can to make you all commercially successful.”
Nadella’s Advocacy For Paid ChatGPT
Following the debut of ChatGPT in November 2022, the correspondence became more intense. Nadella sent Altman a direct text message in January 2023 asking, “When do you think you will activate your paid subscription for ChatGPT?” “The only real reason for rushing it is we are just so out of capacity and delivering a bad user experience,” Altman said, adding that OpenAI was “hoping to be ready by end of January” but may be flexible.
“Let me think about it and weigh in,” Nadella retorted. In general, it is advisable to implement this as soon as possible. He followed up two weeks later to inquire about subscriber numbers. ChatGPT Plus released three days later.
The Billion-Dollar Battle
Musk claims that OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit business model violates its original objective, and the documents surfaced as he sought damages ranging from $79 billion to $134 billion. On January 15, a federal court in Oakland decided that the case will go to trial by jury starting on April 27.
In a blog post, OpenAI claimed that Musk himself acknowledged in 2017 that a for-profit structure would be required, dismissing the complaint as “baseless” and a component of a “harassment” campaign. In October 2025, the company successfully converted to a for-profit public benefit corporation, with Microsoft acquiring a 27% ownership stake.
The change in revenue has been dramatic: according to CFO Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s annualized revenue increased tenfold in just two years, from $6 billion in 2024 and $2 billion in 2023 to $20 billion in 2025. This has validated the business strategy that the documents now show was ingrained from the beginning of the partnership.