“I helped turn the thing you left for dead”: Sam Altman fires back at Elon Musk’s ‘stolen non-profit’ claim

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has responded sharply to Elon Musk’s claim that he “stole a non-profit.” The exchange unfolded on X (formerly Twitter), marking the latest public clash between the two tech figures who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before Musk’s exit three years later.

On November 1, Musk replied to one of Altman’s earlier posts with the comment, “You stole a non-profit,” referring to OpenAI’s transformation from a non-profit research organisation into a capped-profit company. Hours later, Altman responded, writing, “I helped turn the thing you left for dead into what should be the largest non-profit ever. You know as well as anyone a structure like what OpenAI has now is required to make that happen.”

Altman’s remark appeared to defend OpenAI’s hybrid structure, which allows it to attract funding while retaining a mission-driven governance model. Musk, who has criticized OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft, has previously argued that the organization deviated from its original open-source vision.

Background and context
Musk co-founded OpenAI alongside Altman and others in 2015, intending to promote safe and transparent AI research. However, he left the board in 2018, citing potential conflicts of interest with Tesla’s AI efforts. Since then, OpenAI has evolved into a global AI leader, behind ChatGPT and GPT-5, while Musk has launched his own AI venture, xAI.

The renewed feud underscores growing ideological and competitive tensions in the AI space. While Musk continues to question OpenAI’s direction, Altman’s response signals confidence in the company’s mission and governance amid expanding scrutiny over AI transparency and ethics.