Sam Altman laments seeing Elon Musk as a rival: “We started OpenAI together, but he lost all trust.”
"I'm glad you're here, BUT..."
During a recent interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, shared his thoughts on his relationship with his former partner and friend, Elon Musk. The 38-year-old Altman revealed that Musk had a significant impact on his life during his youth, describing him as a 'mega hero.' While he acknowledges that Musk continues to make extraordinary contributions, he made it clear that his admiration is not solely based on Musk's successful companies, but also on his ability to inspire others to think more ambitiously in a context where many were more pessimistic.
The OpenAI CEO also addressed the ongoing lawsuit Musk has against the organization due to its transition to a profit-driven model, prompted by a $14 billion investment from Microsoft. Musk, who launched Grok AI to compete with OpenAI, has criticized its deviation from nonprofit ideals. Altman expressed that, despite co-founding OpenAI with Musk, the latter lost faith in the organization and decided to go his own way. Despite this distancing, Altman stated that he understands Musk's decision and views him as a builder, though it pains him to see him in the role of a competitor.
Additionally, Altman downplayed the potential for Musk or the elected President Trump to negatively impact his business. In his comments, he emphasized that his perspective on Musk has changed over time, but he still values his existence and what he represents. Altman has also downplayed concerns about artificial intelligence, suggesting that it could match human capabilities sooner than most anticipate, although its impact may be less significant than commonly predicted.
