Musk and Altman's AI Feud | Generated by AI
The Elon Musk and Sam Altman Relationship: From Co-Founders to Full-Blown Feud
Elon Musk and Sam Altman started off as collaborators and friends in the AI world. They co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit aimed at developing safe, open-source artificial general intelligence (AGI) for humanity’s benefit. Musk was a major early funder, pouring in millions, and saw it as a counter to what he viewed as risky AI development by big tech companies. Altman, then a young entrepreneur, became CEO and helped shape the organization.
Things soured around 2018 when Musk resigned from the board. He clashed with OpenAI’s direction, particularly as it began shifting toward a for-profit model to attract more funding (like from Microsoft). Musk felt this betrayed the original nonprofit mission and accused the team of prioritizing profits over safety. He later claimed he was effectively pushed out, though OpenAI described it as a mutual decision to avoid conflicts with Tesla’s AI work.
Fast-forward to today (October 2025), and their relationship is openly hostile—a mix of lawsuits, public insults on X (formerly Twitter), and competitive jabs in the AI race. Musk has repeatedly called Altman “Little Finger” (a scheming Game of Thrones character) on X, implying betrayal and manipulation. Altman, in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, said he once saw Musk as a “great jewel for humanity” but now feels differently, citing Musk’s traits he doesn’t admire and accusing him of trying to “slow us down” after OpenAI succeeded without him. Altman has also suggested Musk’s criticisms stem from insecurity, saying, “Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity. I feel for the guy.”
Key Escalations in the Feud
-
2023: Musk Launches xAI and Grok: Yes, this was absolutely positioned as a “revenge” move. Frustrated with OpenAI’s closed-source pivot (e.g., GPT models behind paywalls), Musk started xAI to build “maximum truth-seeking AI” as an alternative. Grok, xAI’s chatbot, was unveiled as a direct rival to ChatGPT—witty, less censored, and integrated with X. Musk has framed it as fixing OpenAI’s “woke” biases and mission drift.
-
2024 Lawsuit: Musk sued OpenAI and Altman, alleging breach of the founding agreement by going for-profit and hiding tech from the public. The suit claims OpenAI became a “closed-source de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft. OpenAI fired back, calling it sour grapes from a failed competitor.
-
2025 Drama:
- February: Musk tried to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion—rejected outright.
- August: Public X spat over Apple allegedly boosting OpenAI in app rankings; Altman accused Musk of manipulating X for his companies, while Musk called him “Scam Altman.”
- September: xAI countersued OpenAI for stealing trade secrets (e.g., poaching engineers). Altman has been hitting back by challenging Musk’s empire, like probing Tesla’s AI integrations and funding rivals.
Their interactions are minimal now—Altman says they talk “very little.” The feud spills into broader AI ethics debates: Musk warns of AGI risks and pushes for regulation, while Altman focuses on rapid scaling with safeguards.
In short, yeah, Musk is still pissed about OpenAI’s evolution and his exit, viewing it as a personal betrayal. xAI/Grok is his counterpunch, but it’s evolved into a full tech rivalry. No signs of reconciliation anytime soon.
References
- Inside the Feud Between Elon Musk and Sam Altman
- Timeline: Elon Musk vs OpenAI and Sam Altman
- Sam Altman Is Going After Elon Musk’s Empire
- Elon Musk’s xAI accuses OpenAI of stealing trade secrets
- Sam Altman: I Used to See Elon Musk As a ‘Great Jewel for Humanity’
- Musk-Altman rivalry devolves into lawsuit threats
- Sam Altman finally stood up to Elon Musk