A longstanding rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman flared up on X after Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for alleged trade secret theft. The dispute saw Musk repeatedly criticize Altman, whom he refers to as ‘Scam Altman,’ while Altman countered by implying Musk’s obsession stemmed from OpenAI’s new model release.
This latest exchange unfolds amidst significant developments for both executives, including SpaceX’s recent IPO and OpenAI’s confidential filing for its own public offering, intensifying the competition in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
A long-simmering rivalry between tech titans Elon Musk and Sam Altman has erupted once more on X, fueled by Apple's recent lawsuit against OpenAI and the simultaneous launch of competing AI models. The billionaires exchanged barbed comments on the social platform, escalating their long-standing conflict over the direction and purpose of artificial intelligence.
The current skirmish comes as OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, faces a lawsuit from Apple alleging trade secret theft. This development provided fresh ammunition for Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, who has been a vocal critic of OpenAI's transition from its original non-profit mission.
Musk and Altman were among the original founders of OpenAI in 2015, envisioning it as a non-profit research lab dedicated to advancing AI for the benefit of all. However, Musk departed from OpenAI's board in 2018, later initiating a lawsuit against Altman, claiming he was deceived by the company's shift towards a for-profit structure. Although a jury ruled in favor of Altman in California this year, Musk has vowed to appeal the decision, indicating the depth of his conviction regarding OpenAI's alleged deviation from its founding principles.
Their relationship deteriorated further following disagreements over resource allocation and control. Musk reportedly sought to integrate OpenAI personnel into Tesla's Autopilot efforts and even aimed for complete control of the lab, which Altman and other board members resisted. This led to Musk discontinuing his promised financial contributions, leaving OpenAI in a precarious financial situation.
In parallel to their personal feud, both executives are navigating significant corporate milestones. SpaceX, which also oversees the X social platform and the xAI lab (a direct competitor to OpenAI), recently completed a landmark initial public offering, raising a staggering $75 billion. The IPO was fueled by ambitions to launch data centers into space and expand into enterprise AI applications. OpenAI, not to be outdone, has confidentially filed for its own IPO, preparing for its Wall Street debut.
The competitive spirit intensified this week with new generative AI model releases: SpaceX launched Grok 4.5, while OpenAI unveiled its GPT-5.6 Sol. This backdrop set the stage for a heated exchange on Saturday. Musk had previously sued both Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of anti-competitive practices that allegedly suppressed Grok's visibility in app store rankings.
Furthering its AI ambitions, SpaceX is also in the process of acquiring Cursor, an AI coding company, in a $60 billion all-stock deal. This acquisition aims to bolster SpaceX's capabilities in AI coding, positioning it against established players like Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex.
The recent Apple lawsuit against OpenAI for alleged trade secret theft triggered Musk's latest volley. On X, he posted, "Scam Altman strikes again …" Musk continued his attack minutes later, stating, "He takes scamming to a whole new level." He then shared a photo of Altman with the caption, "I'm doing this because I love it," to which Musk added, "By 'this' he means scamming," punctuated by laughing emojis. He followed up with, writing, "He might literally love scamming more than any human alive!"
Altman quickly responded to Musk's provocations on X, with one post garnering over 11 million views: "[H]omeboy you're the one sellling public market investors on short-term space datacenters." Musk retorted, "We start flying them next year. Maybe you can come see them if your parole officer approves."
Altman later contextualized Musk's intense attention by linking it to OpenAI's new model. "[T]here are a lot of benchmarks that suggest 5.6 sol is the best model in the world right now, but the most reliable way to tell is that elon is obsessed with me again," he wrote.
Responding to another X user who suggested he was afraid of Apple, Altman clarified, "[I] am not afraid of apple, but i have tremendous respect for them. s-tier company." Nikita Bier, X's head of product, weighed in with sarcasm, "Incredible trade secrets as well, some of the best," prompting a face-with-tears-of-joy emoji reply from Musk.
In response to the trade secret allegations, an OpenAI spokesperson had previously told CNBC, "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets."
