Sam Altman on Elon Musk: From Admiration to Rivalry

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has spoken candidly about the Sam Altman Elon Musk Rivalry, admitting he no longer holds the Tesla billionaire in the same regard as before. Once co-founders of OpenAI in 2015, the two innovators have since drifted apart, with their partnership collapsing into lawsuits, criticism, and direct competition.

From Partners to Adversaries

Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018, and relations between the two soured soon after. In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Altman reflected on how his perception of Musk shifted.
“For a long time, I looked up to him as a hero, a great jewel for humanity,” Altman shared. “But I have different feelings now. While he has achieved incredible things, there are traits I no longer admire.”

Lawsuits and Public Disputes

Musk was an early supporter of OpenAI, but the exact size of his contributions remains disputed—Musk claims $100 million, while OpenAI maintains it was under $45 million. Since departing, Musk has repeatedly criticized OpenAI, especially for its Microsoft partnership.

In February 2024, he sued Altman and OpenAI for allegedly abandoning their nonprofit mission.
By August, he refiled the lawsuit after briefly withdrawing it.
Musk even mocked the company, suggesting it should rename itself “ClosedAI.”

Beyond OpenAI, Musk also launched legal battles against Apple, accusing it of antitrust violations linked to its App Store policies favoring OpenAI.

Enter xAI: Musk’s Rival Startup

In 2023, Musk founded xAI, a competitor to OpenAI. Within a year, xAI raised $12 billion and reached a $50 billion valuation. By June 2025, Morgan Stanley confirmed another $10 billion in funding for expanding its data centers and scaling its chatbot, Grok. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s valuation stood at around $300 billion.

A Partnership Turned Feud

Altman explained that Musk left OpenAI partly because he doubted its future. “He told me he didn’t think we were on track for success. Then we did okay, and I think he got understandably upset,” Altman recalled.

While Altman still acknowledges Musk’s brilliance, he admitted that his admiration has waned. What started as a shared vision to advance artificial intelligence has transformed into one of Silicon Valley’s most talked-about rivalries. The Sam Altman Elon Musk Rivalry now defines their legacy as much as their individual achievements.

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