OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly criticized billionaire Elon Musk’s behavior, but confirmed his desire to join forces with his companies for the safe development of artificial intelligence technologies.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly criticized billionaire Elon Musk’s behavior, but confirmed his desire to join forces with his companies for the safe development of artificial intelligence technologies.
The head of OpenAI said this in an interview with Vanity Fair, emphasizing the need for more active cooperation between AI developers, public officials, and governments.
Altman said there is a unique window of opportunity and public support in the tech sector to establish common safety rules. Commenting on remarks about his public disputes with Musk, the OpenAI chief explained that he was only responding to attacks from the SpaceX and xAI co-founder.
“Listen, I don’t like bullies and I think Elon is a bully. So I think you have to punch a bully in the face every now and then. And I also think Elon, like a lot of bullies, only respects people who do that. So if you want me to be able to work with him, maybe you should be happy that I punch back every now and then, but I will certainly work with Elon,” Altman said.
He emphasized that despite difficult personal relationships, OpenAI and other market players feel the full weight of this moment in the history of the industry and are ready to work together.
Elon Musk was at the origins of OpenAI in 2015 and served as the company’s co-chairman. In 2018, he left the board of directors due to a potential conflict of interest with Tesla’s AI development.
In 2024, a legal conflict erupted between the parties: Musk accused OpenAI of abandoning its original non-profit mission for the sake of monetization, to which the company responded with a counterclaim alleging unfair competition and attempts to damage its reputation.
