Musk and Altman’s Feud Escalates Over OpenAI and Tesla Refunds

San Francisco, CA — The ongoing dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman intensified over the weekend as social media exchanges became heated. Musk accused Altman of ‘stealing a nonprofit’ in a post on X, referring to OpenAI‘s recent transition to a for-profit structure.

This spat escalated following Altman’s comments about his delayed Tesla Roadster preorder. Musk’s comment came in response to Altman’s frustrations when he posted a screenshot of an email regarding a refund he sought.

Altman and Musk co-founded OpenAI alongside others in 2015. However, after Musk resigned from the organization in 2018 to start his own AI venture, relations soured. Musk later criticized OpenAI for deviating from its original mission of being a nonprofit entity.

In a tweet, Altman defended his position, stating, ‘I helped turn the thing you left for dead into what should be the largest nonprofit ever.’ He added that a robust structure like OpenAI’s is necessary for such a venture to succeed. In another jab, he claimed Musk had once wanted Tesla to acquire OpenAI.

Despite the feud, representatives for both Musk and Altman did not respond to requests for comments. OpenAI has grown in prominence, especially after the launch of ChatGPT, a generative chatbot available since 2022.

Musk has publicly expressed his disappointment over OpenAI’s transformation, claiming it has shifted towards maximizing profits, contrary to its intended nonprofit goals. In a 2023 post, Musk noted, ‘OpenAI was created as an open-source, nonprofit company to serve as a counterweight to Google, but now it has become a closed-source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft.’

Currently, OpenAI operates under a dual structure, with a nonprofit foundation owning a significant stake in its for-profit entity. The organization aims to advance AI solutions while also addressing ethical concerns raised about its rapid growth.

Throughout their exchanges, Altman concluded by asking, ‘Can’t we all just move on?’ as he acknowledged progress on both sides in the AI sector.