In 2015, Elon Musk and Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI with the goal of developing safe and beneficial artificial intelligence for humanity. However, in 2018, Musk left the company due to disagreements over its financial structure and direction.
Since then, their relationship has deteriorated. In 2024, Musk sued OpenAI, accusing it of straying from its original mission by partnering with Microsoft and becoming a for-profit company. He also attempted to buy the company for $100 billion, but Altman rejected the offer, stating, “OpenAI is not for sale.”
The rivalry escalated when Musk launched his own AI company, x.AI, and its chatbot Grok, an alternative to ChatGPT with an “anti-woke” stance. Tensions further increased as Musk aligned himself with the U.S. government and Donald Trump, in contrast to Altman, who has received support for projects like Stargate, backed by the U.S. administration.
Amid the conflict, Altman openly shared his thoughts on Musk: “I don’t think he is a happy person. Everything he does comes from insecurity.” Musk, in turn, has called Altman a “liar” and criticized his leadership at OpenAI.
With ongoing accusations, ideological differences, and business disputes, the battle between the two remains one of the most high-profile and significant in the tech world..
