Bloomberg report..
The top lawyers at OpenAI and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. are among the latest to head for the exit at companies backed by Elon Musk.
OpenAI general counsel David Lansky is leaving the company Friday, he told Bloomberg Law. Lansky’s move follows the departure of David Anderman from the general counsel role at SpaceX Exploration Technologies Corp.
Musk, who is preparing to host “Saturday Night Live” tomorrow, is now facing legal leadership transitions at three of the companies that he supports.
Tesla, Inc., which under Musk’s leadership as CEO has churned through top lawyers, just saw its fourth legal chief exit in four years. Alan Prescott was recently hired as chief legal officer at lidar startup Luminar Technologies Inc. after more than a year as Tesla’s acting general counsel and vice president of legal.
Lansky spent four years as the general counsel for OpenAI, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence laboratory co-founded by Musk. Lansky declined to discuss his interactions with Musk, but said he is excited to see what the company does next.
OpenAI has received backing from other investors after Musk stepped down from its board in February 2018. Musk cited potential conflicts of interest with Tesla, the electric car company he co-founded.
SpaceX, a privately held aerospace manufacturer controlled by Musk, earlier this week pulled off a landing for its newest and biggest rocket. The company was valued at $74 billion earlier this year after a funding round led by Sequoia Capital Ltd.
Anderman’s LinkedIn profile shows he left SpaceX in late 2020. His website bio for Proxima Centauri LLC, a business consultancy that advises technology startups, also lists Anderman as the former top lawyer at SpaceX.
Anderman, who joined SpaceX more than a year ago, declined to discuss his departure when contacted by Bloomberg Law.
SpaceX didn’t respond to a request for comment about Anderman’s replacement, nor did several other lawyers at the company, including acting general counsel David Harris, former general counsel Timothy Hughes, and deputy general counsel Christopher Cardaci and Michael Sagan. Hughes has most recently been senior vice president for global business and government affairs at SpaceX.
As for OpenAI, despite leaving its board, Musk would remain a donor and adviser to it, the company said. Lansky, who is exploring his future options, said he’ll be replaced as OpenAI’s legal chief by Jason Kwon, a former general counsel for startup accelerator Y Combinator. Samuel Altman, who teamed up with Musk to start OpenAI, of which Altman is now CEO, is a former president of Y Combinator.
Read the full article at https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/spacex-general-counsel-exits-as-elon-musks-legal-teams-shuffle
