Elon Musk faces criticism from Sam Altman, as he targets Musk's businesses
In the world of technology, feuds are not uncommon. However, the ongoing spat between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, two prominent figures in the industry, has captured attention due to its intensity and focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and social media.
The feud, which has escalated over the past year, began with Musk railing against those who "root against" Tesla in 2019. This was followed by a series of public exchanges, personal attacks, and lawsuits that have become a regular feature on social media platforms, particularly on Musk's recently acquired Twitter.
At the heart of the conflict is the competition between Musk's xAI and Altman's OpenAI. Musk's xAI Grok and OpenAI's ChatGPT are the core of their rivalry, with Musk accusing Apple of unfairly promoting ChatGPT in the App Store, allegedly preventing Musk’s Grok chatbot from gaining traction. Musk threatened to sue Apple over this preferential treatment, alleging an “unequivocal antitrust violation.”
Altman responded by accusing Musk of manipulating the X platform's algorithm to disproportionately promote Musk’s own tweets and harm competitors. The exchange became increasingly personal, with Altman calling Musk’s claims “remarkable” and Musk calling Altman a “liar” on X, igniting a bitter public spat.
Previously business partners at OpenAI, the feud escalated with Musk suing Altman and OpenAI twice since 2018, partly over OpenAI allegedly betraying its founding mission. The latest legal battle involves Musk's $97.4 billion bid for OpenAI's assets in early 2024 and subsequent lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman, and fellow cofounder Greg Brockman.
Despite the heated rivalry, there is no reported public feud or competition between Musk and Altman in the fields of brain-computer interfaces and self-driving cars. Musk remains heavily involved in these areas through Neuralink and Tesla, while Altman is backing a new brain-computer interface startup called Merge Labs.
The feud between Musk and Altman underscores the deep-seated antagonism between the two primarily in AI-powered services and platform control rather than their other technological ventures.
Notable moments in the feud include Musk calling Altman "Scam Altman" and "Swindly Sam," Altman co-founding OpenAI with Musk in 2015 but leaving the organization's board three years later following a failed power grab, and Musk posting a meme claiming ChatGPT had usurped the mainstream media as "the captain of propaganda" in 2023.
As the feud continues, it remains to be seen how it will shape the future of AI and social media. One thing is certain: the tech world is watching with bated breath.
[1] [https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-accuses-apple-anti-competitive-behavior-over-chatgpt-app-store-2023-03-17/] [2] [https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/17/23605570/elon-musk-openai-lawsuit-apple-chatgpt-app-store] [3] [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-17/elon-musk-threatens-to-sue-apple-over-chatgpt-app-store-bias] [4] [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/17/elon-musk-threatens-to-sue-apple-over-chatgpt-app-store-bias.html] [5] [https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-sues-openai-over-alleged-betrayal-of-mission-11679294700]
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