Elon Musk's Attorney Writes To Satya Nadella, Accuses Microsoft Of Unauthorized Twitter Data Use

Twitter has reportedly leveled accusations against Microsoft Corp. MSFT, claiming that the tech giant has been utilizing its social media data in undisclosed and unauthorized ways.

What Happened: In a letter sent by Alex Spiro, attorney for Elon Musk and a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, to Microsoft on Thursday, a series of allegations were laid out. The letter claimed that Microsoft "may have been in violation of multiple provisions" in their data usage agreement with Twitter.

The New York Times was the first to report on the letter, a copy of which CNBC obtained.

See Also: Apple Bans Internal ChatGPT Use: iPhone Maker Exploring In-House AI Solutions?

According to Spiro's letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's board, Microsoft "declined to pay even a discounted rate for continued access to Twitter's APIs and content" last month.

Microsoft had been utilizing the Twitter API in at least five products, “including Xbox One, Bing Pages, Azure, Power Platform, and Ad,” stated the letter.

The agreement placed limitations on the excessive use of Twitter's programming interfaces. However, Spiro pointed out that one of Microsoft's services using Twitter data had account information that "outright states that it intends to allow its customers to ‘go around throttling limits.'"

Microsoft acknowledged the receipt of the letter. The company's spokesperson told CNBC that they would review the contents and "respond appropriately."

Why It Matters: This highlights the latest rift in the ongoing debate over data ownership for training artificial intelligence and machine learning software

The dispute also echoes Musk's public criticism of Microsoft's close ties with ChatGPT-parent OpenAI. While Musk was an early backer of OpenAI, the company has since received substantial investment from Microsoft.

A few days ago, Musk said that he believes that Microsoft might be more in control of OpenAI. Nadella disputed the claim, saying Microsoft has "a non-controlling interest" in the startup.

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