OpenAI accused of bullying California lawmakers over AI safety bill

Technology Oct 11, 2025

OpenAI, the team behind ChatGPT, is under fire for allegedly trying to water down California's new AI safety bill, SB 53.
Nathan Calvin from Encode says OpenAI used its legal battle against Elon Musk to intimidate critics and even reached out to Governor Newsom's office in hopes of easing transparency rules.

OpenAI leaders push back

Calvin shared his claims on X while lawmakers debated the bill.
OpenAI leaders pushed back—Joshua Achiam urged separating genuine critics from Musk, and Jason Kwon questioned Calvin's motives.
All this is happening as OpenAI and Musk are already clashing over the company's governance and its move to a for-profit model, raising bigger questions about transparency in AI right now.