Would Sam Altman rekindle his friendship with Elon Musk? OpenAI chief responds

Musk-Altman feud deepens over OpenAI

Tech titans Elon Musk and Sam Altman are now locked in a deepening public and legal feud — a striking turn for two men who once stood side by side as co-founders of OpenAI.

Their relationship, once rooted in shared ambitions about the future of artificial intelligence, appears increasingly beyond repair. In a recent interview with The Indian Express, Altman was asked which seemed less likely: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company losing its dominance in global chip manufacturing, or rekindling his friendship with Musk.

“I think Musk and I becoming friends is less likely. I feel I have more control over that one, but both very unlikely things,” the OpenAI chief replied, prompting laughter from the audience.

The remark comes as tensions between the two escalate in court. Musk, who also leads Tesla, has sued OpenAI, alleging that the company abandoned its original non-profit mission in favour of commercial interests. He is reportedly seeking damages of up to $134 billion. The dispute has unfolded at a time when AI safety and corporate responsibility are under intense global scrutiny.

From shared vision to open conflict

The current hostility marks a dramatic shift from their early partnership. Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Musk stepped down from the board in 2018 following internal disagreements and has since become one of the company’s sharpest critics.

He argues that Altman and OpenAI veered away from their founding mission, transforming the organisation into a profit-driven entity closely aligned with Microsoft. After securing $1 billion in funding from Microsoft in 2019, OpenAI went on to launch ChatGPT in 2022, which reached one million users within five days.

In July 2023, Musk entered the fray directly by launching his own AI venture, xAI. Four months later, he unveiled its chatbot, Grok. Musk described Grok as being built with “an absolute focus on the truth, whether politically correct or not.”

He later filed a lawsuit accusing Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman of misleading him into donating $44 million to what he believed would remain a non-profit, open-source company prioritising safety over profits.

Clash over AI’s future

The rivalry has also spilled into politics. Musk publicly criticised the Stargate Project, a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative launched after the 2024 presidential election by US President Donald Trump, Altman and other technology leaders. Musk questioned whether the project’s backers had the financial resources to fulfil their promises.

Altman responded pointedly: “This is great for the country. I realise 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.”

Altman is currently in India for the India-AI Impact Summit, where OpenAI has announced several partnerships, including a data centre agreement with Tata Consultancy Services and plans to open new offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai — signalling that, despite the courtroom battle, business is moving ahead at pace.