The rivalry between the two respected tech giants continues, evident in a congratulatory post that may have reignited the rift between the former allies in AI tech. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took a swipe at his rival, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, after the latter congratulated David Sacks on US President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination as “White House AI and Crypto Czar.”
Elon Musk mocks Altman on X Post
Analysts said there was no love lost between the two tech titans who were previously partners in the development of OpenAI.
Altman recently posted on X congratulating Trump’s nominee David Sacks to oversee cryptocurrency regulation in the US.
Musk responded to the OpenAI executive’s praise post with a laughing emoji, indicating that the SpaceX CEO was poking fun at his rival.
A seemingly innocuous post may have revealed the depth of the rift between Musk and Altman.
Note Musk’s Political Influence
While attending The New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Altman believed that Musk would not use his political power to harm his rivals, saying, “I strongly believe that Elon will do the right thing.”
An OpenAI executive noted that if Musk used his political power to hurt his rivals and boost his own business, it would be “un-American.”
“I don’t think people would tolerate that,” Altman told Bloomberg.
Sacks’ appointment as Trump’s chief crypto officer shows the influence the SpaceX CEO has over the incoming administration.
Musk himself will be one of the heads of the US Department of Government Operations (DOGE) which aims to reduce government spending by $2 trillion.
Former Partners
Elon Musk and Sam Altman are the founders of OpenAI and other technology enthusiasts. However, things did not work out between the two tech giants which led to their downfall.
The CEO of SpaceX left the maker of ChatGPT in 2018. Since leaving OpenAI, Musk has become a vocal critic of the top AI company.
Elon Musk and Sam Altman (right). Credits: Marc Piasecki; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Musk criticized OpenAI for backing away from its founding principles. He characterized the AI ​​manufacturing company as a for-profit firm that has returned to its non-profit foundation, adding that it means OpenAI has cheated its sponsors, the public, and regulators.
In addition, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against an AI company for harming his competitors like his xAI by engaging in anti-competitive behavior.
He pointed out that Altman and his team are working with Microsoft, its main sponsor, to prevent xAI from making progress in this field.
Altman denied Musk’s allegations, saying they see xAI as a “difficult competitor.”
“I thought what Elon was doing was truly amazing in the world, and I have different feelings about him now, but I’m glad he’s here,” Altman commented.
Featured image from NPR, chart from TradingView
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