'It’s insanely suicidal for Microsoft...', says Elon Musk as Sam Altman claims Slack breeds fake work

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sparked a debate over the future of workplace tools, calling Slack and similar apps enablers of “endless fake work.” His comments, which argued for a complete rethink of productivity software in the AI era, drew a sharp reaction from Elon Musk — who suggested Microsoft’s continued support of OpenAI was “insanely suicidal.”

In an interview, Sam Altman criticised the modern workplace’s reliance on collaboration tools like Slack, saying they often create an illusion of productivity. “Slack has many positives,” he wrote, “but it creates endless fake work.” Altman argued that the world doesn’t need yet another layer of AI features added to traditional tools like Docs, Slides, Email, and Slack — it needs a fully AI-native productivity suite built from the ground up.

According to Altman, such a system would rely on trusted AI agents that can autonomously manage and execute work, escalating issues to humans only when necessary. “This finally feels within reach,” he added, hinting at how generative AI could reshape how people collaborate and make decisions at scale.

Altman’s remarks come amid speculation that OpenAI could be working on next-generation productivity tools powered by GPT-5, potentially positioning it against Microsoft’s own Copilot suite.