# Stability AI

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British artificial intelligence company

Stability AI Ltd Logo Type Private Industry Artificial intelligence Founded 2019; 7 years ago (2019) Founders Emad Mostaque Cyrus Hodes Headquarters United Kingdom Area served Worldwide Products Image: Stable Diffusion 3.5 Video: Stable Video Diffusion Audio: Stable Audio 2.5 3D: Stable TripoSR Stable Point Aware 3D Stable Fast 3D Stable Video 3D Stable Video 4D Stable Zero 123 Text: Stable LM 2 Stable Code Number of employees 170 (2024)[1] Website stability.ai

**Stability AI Ltd**[2] is a UK-based [artificial intelligence](/source/Artificial_intelligence) company, best known for its text-to-image model [Stable Diffusion](/source/Stable_Diffusion).

## History and founding

Stability AI was founded in 2019 by [Emad Mostaque](/source/Emad_Mostaque) and Cyrus Hodes.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

In August 2022 Stability AI rose to prominence with the release of its source and weights available text-to-image model [Stable Diffusion](/source/Stable_Diffusion).[3]

On March 23, 2024, Emad Mostaque stepped down from his position as CEO. The board of directors appointed COO, Shan Shan Wong, and CTO, Christian Laforte, as the interim co-CEOs of Stability AI.[12]

On June 25, 2024, [Prem Akkaraju](/source/Prem_Akkaraju), former CEO of visual effects company [Weta Digital](/source/Weta_Digital), was appointed CEO of the company.[13]

## Funding and investors

A notable milestone in the company's funding history was a $101 million investment round led by Coatue and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with O’Shaughnessy Ventures LLC also participating.[14]

On June 25, 2024, alongside announcing Prem Akkaraju as the new CEO, Stability AI also announced they had closed an initial round of investment from world-class investor groups such as [Greycroft](/source/Greycroft), [Coatue Management](/source/Coatue_Management), Sound Ventures, [Lightspeed Venture Partners](/source/Lightspeed_Venture_Partners), and O’Shaughnessy Ventures.[15][16] [Sean Parker](/source/Sean_Parker), entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former President of Facebook, joined the Stability AI Board as Executive Chairman. [16] On September 24, 2024, Stability AI announced that filmmaker, technology innovator, and visual effects pioneer [James Cameron](/source/James_Cameron) had joined its Board of Directors.[17][18]

## Product and application

Stability AI has made contributions to the field of generative AI, most notably through [Stable Diffusion](/source/Stable_Diffusion). This AI model allows images to be generated from textual descriptions. Beyond Stable Diffusion, Stability AI also develops Video, Audio, 3D, and text models.[19] Stability AI has partnered with [Arm](/source/ARM_architecture_family) to optimize its [text-to-audio](/source/Text_to_audio) model, Stable Audio Open, for mobile devices powered by Arm CPUs.[20]

## Litigation

In July 2023, Stability AI co-founder [Cyrus Hodes](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyrus_Hodes&action=edit&redlink=1) filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California against CEO [Emad Mostaque](/source/Emad_Mostaque) and the company, alleging fraud, misrepresentation, and breach of fiduciary duty. Hodes claimed that Mostaque deceived him into selling his 15% stake in the company for $100 in two transactions in October 2021 and May 2022, based on false representations that Stability AI was essentially worthless. Just three months after the final transaction, Stability AI raised $101 million in funding at a valuation of $1 billion. The lawsuit alleges that at current valuations, Hodes’ stake would be worth over $150 million. Hodes also accused Mostaque of embezzling company funds to pay for personal expenses, including rent for a lavish London apartment, luxury shopping sprees, and a $90,000 diamond ring purchased by Mostaque's wife using company funds.[21][22][23]

Separately, Stability AI has faced legal challenges from Getty Images. Getty Images filed two lawsuits against the company, one in the [High Court](/source/High_Court_of_Justice) of [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales) in London[24] and another in Delaware federal court. The lawsuit in Delaware alleged the company misused over 12 million photos from its collection to train its AI image-generation system, Stable Diffusion. This lawsuit, filed in Delaware federal court, is part of broader concerns about the use of copyrighted material in AI training datasets. Getty Images alleges that Stability AI copied these images without proper licensing to enhance Stable Diffusion’s ability to generate accurate depictions from user prompts.[25] In November 2025, the High Court of England and Wales ruled that Stability AI was not guilty of [copyright infringement](/source/Copyright_infringement) despite using Getty Images as a training set for its image generator.[24]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Criddle, Cristina; Murgia, Madhumita; Hammond, George (29 March 2024). ["Chaotic departure of StabilityAI chief raises doubts over start-up's future"](https://www.ft.com/content/d7bbb769-20f1-4242-bd15-201741c90720). *Financial Times*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["STABILITY AI Ltd overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK"](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12295325).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nyt_2022_10_21_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nyt_2022_10_21_3-1) Roose, Kevin (21 October 2022). ["A Coming-Out Party for Generative A.I., Silicon Valley's New Craze"](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/technology/generative-ai.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0362-4331](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-thetimes_29_February_2024_4-0)** Prescott, Katie (29 February 2024). ["Stability AI rejects photo copyright claims in High Court case"](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/article/stability-ai-rejects-photo-copyright-claims-in-high-court-case-m63ln9mbl). *thetimes*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Forbes_5-0)** Cai, Kenrick (29 March 2024). ["How Stability AI's Founder Tanked His Billion-Dollar Startup"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2024/03/29/how-stability-ais-founder-tanked-his-billion-dollar-startup/). *Forbes*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-fortune_6-0)** Mollman, Steve (21 July 2023). ["Stability AI cofounder sold stake now worth over $500 million for $100—after being deceived, says lawsuit"](https://fortune.com/2023/07/21/stability-ai-cofounder-lawsuit-cyrus-hodes-ceo-emad-mostaque-stable-diffusion-tech-startups/). *Fortune*. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sifted_7-0)** ["Stability AI cofounder Mostaque share sale news"](https://sifted.eu/articles/stability-ai-cofounder-mostaque-share-sale-news). *Sifted*. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-bloomberg_8-0)** ["Stability AI co-founder says he was duped into selling stake in unicorn for $100"](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-13/stability-ai-co-founder-says-he-was-duped-into-selling-stake-in-unicorn-for-100?embedded-checkout=true). *Bloomberg*. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-forbes2_9-0)** Cai, Kenrick (13 July 2023). ["Stability AI cofounder says Emad Mostaque tricked him into selling stake for $100"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/07/13/stability-ai-cofounder-says-emad-mostaque-tricked-him-into-selling-stake-for-100/). *Forbes*. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ft_10-0)** ["Stability AI cofounder under scrutiny"](https://www.ft.com/content/a1e33171-84f6-4f83-bbd7-62de8c2799aa). *Financial Times*. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-reuters_11-0)** ["Stability AI is sued by co-founder who says he was duped selling stake $100"](https://www.reuters.com/technology/stability-ai-is-sued-by-co-founder-who-says-he-was-duped-selling-stake-100-2023-07-13/). *Reuters*. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-The_Verge_23_March_2024_12-0)** Warren, Tom (23 March 2024). ["Stability AI CEO resigns to "pursue decentralized AI""](https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/23/24109511/stability-ai-ceo-emad-mostaque-resignation-decentralized-ai). *The Verge*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Stability_AI_25_June_2024_13-0)** ["Stability AI Secures Significant New Investment from World-Class Investor Group and Appoints Prem Akkaraju as CEO"](https://stability.ai/news/stability-ai-secures-significant-new-investment). *stability.ai*. 25 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-TechCrunch_17_October_2022_14-0)** Wiggers, Kyle (17 October 2022). ["Stability AI, the startup behind Stable Diffusion, raises $101M"](https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/17/stability-ai-the-startup-behind-stable-diffusion-raises-101m/). *TechCrunch*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-SiliconANGLE_25_June_2024_15-0)** Deutscher, Maria (25 June 2024). ["Stability AI appoints new CEO and closes funding round reportedly worth $80M"](https://siliconangle.com/2024/06/25/stability-ai-appoints-new-ceo-closes-funding-round-reportedly-worth-80m/). *SiliconANGLE*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TechCrunch_25_June_2024_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TechCrunch_25_June_2024_16-1) Wiggers, Kyle (25 June 2024). ["Stability AI lands a lifeline from Sean Parker, Greycroft"](https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/25/stability-ai-lands-a-lifeline-from-sean-parker-greycroft/). *TechCrunch*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Variety_24_Sep_2024_17-0)** Giardina, Carolyn (24 September 2024). ["James Cameron Joins Stability AI Board of Directors"](https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/james-cameron-stability-ai-board-of-directors-1236154084/). *Variety*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CNBC_24_Sep_2024_18-0)** ["Director James Cameron explains why he is joining Stability AI's board of directors"](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/09/24/director-james-cameron-explains-why-he-is-joining-stability-ais-board-of-directors.html). *CNBC*. 24 September 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-VentureBeat_5_June_2024_19-0)** Kerner, Sean Michael (5 June 2024). ["Stability AI debuts new Stable Audio Open for sound design"](https://venturebeat.com/ai/stability-ai-debuts-new-stable-audio-open-for-sound-design/). *VentureBeat*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** Wiggers, Kyle (3 March 2025). ["Stability AI optimized its audio generation model to run on Arm chips"](https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/03/stability-ai-optimized-its-audio-generation-model-to-run-on-arm-chips/). *TechCrunch*. Retrieved 4 March 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Complaint filed by Cyrus Hodes"](https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rDlbbQW5zCKk/v0). Retrieved 5 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["How British tech star Stability AI imploded with debt and lawsuits"](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/how-british-tech-star-stability-ai-imploded-with-debt-and-lawsuits-v59n5m9sr). Retrieved 5 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Cai, Kenrick (13 July 2023). ["Stability AI cofounder says Emad Mostaque tricked him into selling stake for $100"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/07/13/stability-ai-cofounder-says-emad-mostaque-tricked-him-into-selling-stake-for-100/). *Forbes*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Economist_24-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Economist_24-1) ["A British legal ruling about AI delights nobody"](https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/11/06/a-british-legal-ruling-about-ai-delights-nobody). *[The Economist](/source/The_Economist)*. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Brittain, Blake (7 February 2023). ["Getty Images lawsuit says Stability AI misused photos to train AI"](https://www.reuters.com/legal/getty-images-lawsuit-says-stability-ai-misused-photos-train-ai-2023-02-06/). *[Reuters](/source/Reuters)*. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.stability.ai)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stability AI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stability_AI) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stability_AI?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.