A coalition of AI watchdog groups on Tuesday asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to open an inquiry into ties between senior OpenAI leaders and wafer-scale chipmaker Cerebras Systems, arguing the relationships could amount to undisclosed self-dealing tied to a major procurement deal. The petition and an accompanying letter say several top OpenAI executives hold investments in Cerebras and urge state investigators to obtain documents related to the companies' agreement. The request lands as OpenAI rapidly expands its compute partnerships and runs into fresh scrutiny over its governance and oversight.
What the coalition asked the attorney general to do
EyesOnOpenAI, a coalition of more than 60 civic and advocacy groups, delivered a letter and petition asking Bonta to investigate the Cerebras-OpenAI contract, compel production of relevant documents, and "reaffirm oversight of OpenAI's structure," according to The Sacramento Bee. The group told Bonta that the executives' equity positions in Cerebras were "evidence of self-dealing" and said the disclosures appeared in materials tied to Cerebras' public-company filing.
Executives named as investors
The coalition singled out OpenAI President Greg Brockman, CEO Sam Altman, Director Adam D'Angelo, and co-founder Ilya Sutskever as having been identified in Cerebras' investor disclosures, information that also appears in the chipmaker's SEC registration materials. Cerebras' S-1 and amendments filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission include lists and exhibits that detail early backers and selling stockholders connected to the company's offering.
The deal and the wider context
OpenAI has announced a multiyear partnership to deploy Cerebras inference systems as part of a broader compute strategy designed to add ultra-low-latency capacity to its platform, according to OpenAI. OpenAI's move, widely reported as a multibillion-dollar commitment tied to hundreds of megawatts of capacity, has been central to Cerebras' push toward a Nasdaq listing, a local writeup of the company's IPO filing notes. Regional coverage like Nasdaq listing push has tracked the partnership and the chipmaker's public paperwork.
Legal implications under California law
EyesOnOpenAI's letter flags concerns under California's nonprofit public-benefit rules that govern potential self-dealing. Corporations Code §5233 defines an interested-director transaction and explains how such deals can be challenged or approved, including a role for the state attorney general in reviewing or bringing actions. The coalition asked Bonta to consider whether OpenAI followed internal procedures and disclosure rules before moving ahead with the Cerebras arrangement.
Why the timing matters
The request arrives just weeks after a federal jury rejected Elon Musk's claims that OpenAI and its leaders violated the nonprofit's founding mission, a decision that legal observers say removes a major uncertainty that had hung over OpenAI's path toward a public offering. Reporting on the trial's outcome noted that the verdict was based on statute-of-limitations grounds and that the ruling could clear regulatory and litigation overhangs for the company.
What to watch next
It is not yet clear whether Bonta's office will open a formal investigation. EyesOnOpenAI has repeatedly pressed the attorney general since last year to scrutinize OpenAI's restructuring and governance, according to the coalition's own updates. If the Department of Justice decides to pursue the matter, officials could seek documents from OpenAI or negotiate a process to review whether the nonprofit's charitable assets and governance have been properly protected.
