The dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has become increasingly heated in recent times. In an interview on Bari Weiss’ podcast, Altman called Musk “clearly a bully” and “someone who clearly likes to argue.” This statement comes after months of tension and legal action between the two, who were once friends and collaborators in founding OpenAI. Altman adds: “Right now, I’m his target. In the past it’s been Bezos, Gates, Zuckerberg and many other people. I think, fundamentally, this is all due to the success of OpenAI. Elon is a guy who likes to win. He founded and now runs a company that tries to do exactly what OpenAI does. I’m convinced that Elon would be happy with everything we’re doing if he were in charge of the company.”
Musk, who left OpenAI in 2018, has publicly criticized the company’s direction, accusing it of straying from its original mission to “serve humanity.” In particular, Musk disputes the transformation of OpenAI from a non-profit organization to a for-profit company, which took place in 2019 with the aim of attracting more investments, including a billion dollars from Microsoft. Musk believes this shift has led OpenAI to prioritize profits over the public good and become “a de facto closed-source subsidiary of the largest technology company in the world.” Altman, for his part, defended OpenAI’s decision, arguing that AI development requires significant funding and that the for-profit structure is necessary to secure the necessary resources.
The feud between Musk and Altman fits into a broader context of debate over the ethics of AI development and the role of big tech companies in this field. Musk, who has always been concerned about the potential risks of artificial general intelligence (AGI), fears that OpenAI’s current trajectory could lead to a concentration of power in the hands of a few. Altman, however, argues that OpenAI’s approach is necessary to ensure the responsible development of AI and to fairly distribute its benefits. The dispute between the two took on a personal tone, with Musk calling Altman “dishonest” and “hypocritical.” Musk has also taken several legal actions against OpenAI, seeking to block its conversion to a for-profit company and accusing the company of anticompetitive practices.