Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reignited his long-standing feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, once again calling him "Scam Altman." Musk made the remark while quoting a video of Altman speaking at a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing. The video, shared on Twitter by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, shows Altman discussing his financial status in OpenAI's leadership.
During the testimony on May 16, 2023, Altman stated that he does not own any equity in OpenAI. When asked if he makes a lot of money, Altman replied, "No. I'm paid enough for health insurance. I have no equity in OpenAI." He added, "I'm doing this because I love it."
Musk, who was once a co-founder of OpenAI alongside Altman, has frequently criticized the AI company's trajectory. This is not the first time Musk has taken aim at Altman. He has previously called him a "Swindler" and a "Liar." The two billionaires have been publicly feuding over OpenAI's shift towards a for-profit model and its growing ties with Microsoft.
The latest spat follows an unsolicited $97.4 billion bid led by Musk to buy OpenAI's nonprofit arm. The offer, seen as an aggressive move, aims to regain control of OpenAI, which Musk believes has strayed from its original mission.
In 2023, Musk sued OpenAI, alleging that it had become a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft. The lawsuit sought to block OpenAI from becoming a for-profit entity, accusing it of betraying its commitment to open AI research. Musk has been vocal about his concerns that AI should not be controlled by a single corporation, especially one as powerful as Microsoft.
Altman, however, dismissed Musk's latest attempt to take over OpenAI. In response to the offer, he tweeted, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want." The remark was a jab at Musk's troubled acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Altman made it clear that OpenAI is "not for sale." He claimed that Musk's legal actions and takeover bids were just another attempt to "slow us down." He accused Musk of using "tactics, many, many lawsuits, all sorts of other crazy stuff" to interfere with OpenAI's progress.
Altman also took a personal shot at Musk, saying he doesn't believe the Tesla CEO is a "happy person." He added, "Musk's whole life comes from a position of insecurity—I feel for the guy."
The ongoing feud between the two tech moguls reflects the larger battle over AI's future. Musk remains a vocal critic of OpenAI's operations, while Altman continues to push forward with AI development despite legal and financial challenges. Whether Musk will escalate his efforts to take control of OpenAI remains uncertain, but the public clash between the two is far from over.
