'Let's be friends': Sam Altman to Elon Musk amid years-long AI rivalry

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman signals truce with Elon Musk, says AGI is too important to let personal feuds get in the way; the two tech rivals had recently clashed over past political stances

In a turn of events, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has signalled his willingness to reconcile with Elon Musk, despite their ongoing rivalry in the artificial intelligence space. The two tech moguls, who once co-founded OpenAI together, have seen their relationship sour in recent years, especially following Musk's departure from the organisation in 2018.

 

The latest public exchange occurred on social media, where Musk shared a post from Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham, who praised Altman for his role in opposing President Donald Trump. Graham’s tweet stated, “Few have done more than Sam Altman to defeat Trump.” Altman, acknowledging the comment, responded by admitting that both he and Musk were wrong in their past political stances, particularly referencing Musk’s 2022 tweet suggesting that Trump “hang up his hat & sail into the sunset".

 

 

Altman’s response, however, took a more conciliatory tone, saying, “We were both wrong, or at least I certainly was, but that was from 2016 and this was from 2022.”

 

He added, “Anyway, see you next week, let’s be friends ... AGI too important to let a lil feud get in the way,” referencing their shared goal of advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI). 

anyway, see you next week, let’s be friends  ????  ????????  agi too important to let a lil feud get in the way

— Sam Altman (@sama) May 10, 2025

  This exchange comes amid a backdrop of Musk’s ongoing criticism of OpenAI. Since leaving the organisation, Musk has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with OpenAI’s ties to Microsoft, calling it a "closed source, maximum-profit company" and filing several lawsuits against the AI firm, including one to halt its for-profit restructuring. Musk also established his own AI company, xAI, which competes directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT through its Grok chatbot.

 

Despite this, Altman and Musk's interaction may signal a potential shift in their relationship. In the past year, the two have exchanged fiery social media posts and legal battles, with Musk even proposing to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion. However, Altman’s recent post seems to indicate that the animosity could be set aside in the pursuit of AGI, which both leaders view as crucial for the future of technology.

 

Musk has also been a vocal supporter of Trump, while Altman has aligned more with the US government's efforts to advance AI infrastructure, notably contributing to the $500 billion Project Stargate.