Sam Altman Considers Elon Musk a 'Friend' Despite Lawsuits, 'Bullying'

What's New

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called billionaire Elon Musk "a friend" on The Free Press podcast Thursday, despite the two tech giants' ongoing public feud.

Newsweek reached out to Musk's communications team for comment.

Why It Matters

Musk has been an ever-growing presence in U.S. politics, with Kai Trump, the president-elect's granddaughter, even saying he had been promoted to "uncle status" in a family photo after the election.

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, reportedly joined Trump in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also spent Election Day at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and has reportedly had a near-constant presence at the resort since the Republican's win against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were at the Capitol recently to speak with lawmakers—mostly Republicans, according to the Associated Press. The Department of Government Efficiency heads discussed budget-slashing proposals and other ways to cut programs and "Save America."

Musk and Altman cofounded OpenAI in 2015 with the mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. The company has since commandeered the AI boom, most famously through the release of ChatGPT. Musk left the company's board in 2018, citing potential future conflicts of interest with his role at Tesla.

Elon Musk speaks at a campaign rally, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attends an Apple event announcing new products in Cupertino, Calif., June 10, 2024. AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File/AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

What To Know

The two tech CEOs have a storied history of interactions, ranging from starting businesses together to complicated personal and legal battles over the future of artificial intelligence. Now, Altman told Bari Weiss that while he's had a "long time to get used to" the "bullying," he still considers Musk a "friend."

"I was talking to someone recently who I do think of as close and they said 'Look, Elon doesn't have any friends. Elon does computers. Elon doesn't do friends,'" Altman said. "That was sort of a sad moment for me because I do think of him as a friend...This is about Elon this is not about me. It still sucks. I've had a long time to get used to it, I guess."

Close to the onset of the podcast, Weiss asked Atman about his relationship with Musk. Altman shared that he's "very grateful" for their time at OpenAI and that he believes Musk is "just a legendary entrepreneur."

"He's also clearly a bully and he's also someone who likes to get in fights," Altman said. "Right now it's me. It's been Bezos, Gates, Zuckerberg, lots of other people."

Altman called this "standard behavior" for Musk, noting that "everyone gets their period of time in his spotlight."

In the podcast Thursday, Altman said Musk would only be happy about OpenAI if he was the one in charge.

"Everything we're doing I believe Elon would be happy about if he were in control of the company," Altman said. "He left when he thought we were on a trajectory to certainly fail and also wouldn't do something where he had total control over OpenAI."

In February, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman and company President Greg Brockman, alleging that the organization had strayed from its original nonprofit mission by prioritizing profits and forming a partnership with Microsoft.

He later added Microsoft as a defendant, accusing both companies of forming a monopoly.

"I've lost track of how many times Elon has sued us," Altman said. "Our job is to build AGI in a way that benefits humanity and figure out a way to broadly and safely distribute it. Our job is not to engage in like a Twitter fight with Elon but when we have to respond to a legal filing, we will and sometimes we'll provide context."

Altman also added that he is not planning to turn his nonprofit into a for profit because "nonprofits stay a nonprofit," adding that he hopes "we will become the largest and most impactful nonprofit of all time."

Musk's recent ventures include the launch of xAI, an artificial intelligence company positioned as a direct competitor to OpenAI. Altman said on the podcast that he's heard Musk has majority ownership and control of the company, which "seems like a reasonable thing he would do."

What People Are Saying

Author and University of Missouri professor Karen Piper, on X: "Sam Altman wanted AI to be safe. Elon Musk wanted to control it and merge it with Tesla. Now, he's trying to crush Salm Altman, who disagreed"

Max Chafkin, tech reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek, on Elon, Inc. podcast: "They're both making points that seem somewhat damaging to the other. And they both kind of come off as people who are talking a big game about the sort of higher purposes of what they're doing but then behind the scenes are very concerned with money, which kind of undercuts the sense of higher purposes. I think it really shows a sort of political clumsiness."

What Happens Next

Musk will serve as the one of the heads of the Department of Government Efficiency – though some lawmakers are pushing for him to become House Speaker.

Altman, however, previously said he's "not that worried" about Musk's influence in the upcoming Trump administration. On Thursday's podcast, he said he doesn't believe Musk will abuse his power in government, noting that it seems "completely different to me" than "bullying" on X.