Key Points:
- Altman’s admiration for Musk has faded.
- Their relationship soured amid legal and public clashes.
- xAI and OpenAI now lead a fierce AI rivalry.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has admitted that his admiration for Elon Musk has shifted significantly over the years. In a recent interview, Altman reflected on how he once regarded Musk as “a great jewel for humanity” and “an incredible hero.” Today, however, that perception has cooled. While Altman acknowledged that Musk has made remarkable contributions, he also noted that there are aspects of Musk he no longer admires.
Their relationship has undergone a dramatic transformation since the early days of OpenAI, when both men shared a vision of advancing artificial intelligence for the public good. Musk, once a co-founder and early supporter of OpenAI, stepped away from its board in 2018. Since then, the two leaders have frequently clashed, with disagreements spilling into lawsuits and public criticisms.
From Allies to Rivals
OpenAI’s formation in 2015 marked a moment of collaboration, with Musk initially helping to fund the non-profit. The scale of his contributions, however, has remained contested. While Musk has said he invested around $100 million, OpenAI has maintained that his donations amounted to less than half that figure.
Tensions deepened after Musk’s departure. He openly criticized Sam Altman’s leadership and filed a lawsuit in early 2024, accusing OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission after forming close ties with Microsoft. Though Musk briefly dropped the case in June, he refiled it in August and even demanded that OpenAI rebrand itself as “ClosedAI” if it wanted the legal battles to end.
Meanwhile, Musk shifted focus to his own AI company, xAI, which has quickly attracted vast funding. The firm is now valued at around $50 billion, a figure dwarfed by OpenAI’s estimated $300 billion valuation. The rivalry between the two companies underscores the high stakes and escalating competition in artificial intelligence.
A Complex Legacy
Despite the growing rift, Sam Altman still acknowledged Musk’s extraordinary impact in certain areas. He credited Musk with achievements that he described as “incredible” and expressed gratitude for several moments in their shared history. Yet, Altman made clear that there are qualities in Musk he finds difficult to respect, signaling a more complicated relationship than the hero-worship he once admitted to.
The evolving dynamic between Altman and Musk reflects broader shifts in the technology sector, where early partnerships often give way to rivalries as ambitions diverge. Their clash raises pressing questions about the future of AI governance, the balance between profit and public good, and the challenges of leadership in an industry shaping the world’s next era of innovation.
