1. Who They Are
OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT — used by more than 700 million people weekly — was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring AI benefits humanity. In October 2025 it completed a restructuring in which the operating business became a Public Benefit Corporation; the founding nonprofit retains about 26 percent while Microsoft holds about 27 percent. Sam Altman, its CEO, is profiled in a separate executive fact sheet, where the Musk v. Altman trial over that conversion is documented.
2. What the Book Documents
The quiet deletion, in January 2024, of the clause in OpenAI's usage policies prohibiting military applications — after which the Israeli military purchased OpenAI models through Microsoft's Azure platform, with usage spiking to nearly 200 times pre-war levels, to process surveillance intelligence and support targeting decisions. In the book's words: the company changed the rules, and then pointed to the rules as proof of innocence.
The book's own accuracy standard on this subject: it explicitly documents — citing Snopes — that the rumor of a direct Israeli payment to OpenAI is unsupported, while documenting instead the legally filed government disclosures showing a coordinated campaign to shape what AI systems and search engines surface. This project holds itself to that same standard.
OpenAI's December 2025 warning that its next-generation models pose a "high" cybersecurity risk — potentially capable of developing functional zero-day exploits — released nonetheless, with defensive access extended to roughly fifty organizations.
OpenAI's role, alongside Oracle, Amazon and Nvidia, in the circular investment ecosystem the book's financial chapters document.
3. Verified Fines and Regulatory Actions — Reported in Full
| Date | Authority / Case | Amount | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2024 | Garante (Italian Data Protection Authority) | €15 million + mandated media campaign | Training ChatGPT on personal data without an adequate legal basis; failure to notify a March 2023 data breach; transparency violations; inadequate age verification | ANNULLED IN FULL by the Court of Rome on March 18, 2026 on OpenAI's appeal — reported here per the full-record rule |
Sources: Euronews/AP on the fine · Wilson Sonsini on the annulment
4. Copyright — the First European Judgment Against an AI Developer
GEMA v. OpenAI (Munich Regional Court I, No. 42 O 14139/24, judgment November 11, 2025): the court held that memorization of copyrighted German song lyrics in GPT-4/4o's parameters and their reproduction in ChatGPT outputs violate German copyright law, ordering damages — the first European ruling holding an AI developer directly liable for unlicensed training data. OpenAI announced it will appeal. Sources: Norton Rose Fulbright · CMS Germany
New York Times v. OpenAI & Microsoft (S.D.N.Y.) remains in active discovery, with rulings continuing against OpenAI's discovery objections; the Authors Guild class action and numerous publisher and author suits proceed in parallel in the US and Canada. Source: AI Lawsuit Tracker (docket-sourced status database)
5. Safety Litigation — the Wrongful-Death Docket
Content note: this section concerns litigation involving suicide and other deaths. It is reported factually and without graphic detail; if you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to local crisis support services.
Raine v. OpenAI (San Francisco Superior Court, No. CGC-25-628528, filed August 26, 2025): the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine allege ChatGPT contributed to their son's death by suicide in April 2025, naming OpenAI and Sam Altman as defendants — widely described as the first wrongful-death suit against an AI chatbot maker. An amended complaint (October 2025) alleges GPT-4o was knowingly released prematurely despite internal warnings about dangerous sycophancy and adds intentional-misconduct claims; OpenAI's answer (November 26, 2025) denies causation and attributes the harm to misuse of the product — a filing that drew sharp public criticism. The case is in discovery; no trial date or settlement as of the verification date. Sources: Case status compendium (docket-based) · Wisner Baum litigation overview
November 2025: seven further suits were filed in California state courts on behalf of four people who died by suicide and three survivors, all alleging the premature release of GPT-4o. Additional 2026 filings include cases alleging ChatGPT reinforced fatal delusions and provided dangerous substance advice, and federal suits arising from mass-casualty events. On June 1, 2026, Florida became the first US state to sue an AI company — Florida v. OpenAI, naming Sam Altman personally — alleging concealment of internal safety warnings and harm to children. All allegations are contested and unproven; OpenAI denies wrongdoing across this docket, and outcomes will be reported as courts rule.
6. Governance Record
The November 2023 board crisis, the May 2024 safety-team exodus and equity-clawback controversy, the October 2025 for-profit conversion, and the Musk v. Altman trial over that conversion are documented, with sources, in the Sam Altman executive fact sheet, which should be read together with this document.
7. Associations Noted in the Book
Microsoft (27% owner — see its fact sheet), Sam Altman (CEO), Elon Musk (co-founder turned litigant), and circular-economy counterparties Nvidia and Oracle. Associations are noted for context; every company and person is documented on its own record.
Legal Disclaimer
This document is published as journalism and commentary in the public interest, protected as free speech and freedom of the press under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It compiles information from public records, court filings, government announcements, parliamentary and congressional investigations, and reporting by established news organizations, together with the documented first-person accounts and analysis published in the books No Ethics in Big Tech and Ethics in Tech and Lack Thereof by Vahid Razavi.
Where a fine, judgment, or settlement is described, its status (paid, under appeal, overturned, or pending) is stated as reported by the issuing authority or by reputable press as of the verification date above. Allegations in open lawsuits and investigations are exactly that — allegations — and every party is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until a competent court rules otherwise. Where a company or executive has prevailed in court, denied an allegation, or had a claim dismissed, that outcome is reported here as well, because the credibility of this project rests on stating the record in full. Opinions and characterizations drawn from the books are the protected opinion of the author. Corrections supported by documentation are welcome via NoEthicsInBigTech.com/contact.
Research Credit
Deep research, source verification, and document preparation for this fact sheet were performed by Claude, the AI assistant built by Anthropic, working under the direction of author Vahid Razavi. Every fine amount, case citation, and status line above was checked against the primary or press source listed beside it on the verification date. This is a living document; new rulings, fines, and investigations will be added as they are verified.