Elon Musk and Sam Altman reignited their feud on social media after the announcement of OpenAI’s $500 billion project.
Altman took centre stage at the White House on Tuesday to unveil 'Stargate' AI infrastructure project. He appeared alongside Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son.
Starting with a $100 billion investment, the project plans to build advanced data centres in Texas to power advanced AI systems.
The initiative was praised by President Trump as a major boost for America’s technological future and 'a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential.'
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However, the Tesla CEO wasted no time throwing shade.
“They don’t actually have the money,” Musk wrote on X, responding to OpenAI's post. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority."
But the OpenAI CEO wasn't having it and fired back.
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“Wrong, as you surely know,” Altman said. “Want to come visit the first site already under way?"
He continued: "This is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope you’ll mostly put [America] first.”
A source close to Softbank pushed back on Musk’s claims, pointing out the company’s $24 billion in cash and $140 billion in liquid securities as of last September.
The argument is just the latest episode in the long-running rivalry between Musk and Altman. Both lead major AI companies and are competing to shape the future of AI regulation in the US.
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Their history dates back to 2015 when Musk - who co-founded OpenAI as a nonprofit in 2015 - fell out with its leadership over disagreements about its direction.
Musk’s close relationship with Trump and his role as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has only added fuel to the fire.
Asked last month about Musk’s powerful influence, Altman said it “would be profoundly un-American to use political power, to the degree that Elon has it, to hurt your competitors and advantage your own businesses.”
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Meanwhile, Altman made a point to praise Trump at the White House event. He claimed that the three companies 'wouldn’t be able to do this without you.'
He described Stargate as a transformative project that could 'create hundreds of thousands of jobs' in the US.
“We will see diseases get cured at an unprecedented rate. We will be amazed at how quickly we’re curing this cancer and that one — and heart disease,” said the ChatGPT creator.
Meanwhile, Musk is suing Altman, OpenAI, Microsoft and billionaire Reid Hoffman in a bid to stop OpenAI’s transition into a for-profit company.
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Musk recently scored a key win in the legal battle, with the Justice Department and FTC siding with one of his key arguments, The Post reported.