Altman shared his thoughts in a YouTube interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, discussing his perspective on Musk. The two co-founded OpenAI in 2015, but their relationship soured after Musk departed from the board in 2018.
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| Sam Altman/Facebook/Global |
"For a long time, I regarded him as an extraordinary hero, a true gem for humanity. My feelings have changed since then," Altman remarked about Musk.
"There are aspects of him that are remarkable, and I appreciate many of his contributions. However, there are also numerous traits of his that I do not admire," he continued.
Musk was among the initial financial supporters of OpenAI during its inception, although the exact amount he invested in the creator of ChatGPT remains uncertain.In March 2023, Musk claimed he contributed around $100 million to the organization. However, OpenAI said in March 2024 that Musk's actual contributions were below $45 million.
After stepping down from OpenAI's board, Musk has openly criticized Altman's leadership.In February 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI, alleging they breached their nonprofit mission by collaborating with Microsoft. He retracted the lawsuit in June 2024 but reinstated it in August 2024.
"Change your name to ClosedAI, and I will withdraw the lawsuit," Musk posted on X in March 2024.
Last month, Musk threatened legal action against Apple, claiming the iPhone manufacturer showed bias against OpenAI in its App Store. Musk accused Apple of committing an "unequivocal antitrust violation" and filed a lawsuit against both Apple and OpenAI on August 25.
"This is an astonishing assertion considering what I have heard about Elon manipulating X for his own benefit and to undermine his rivals and those he dislikes," Altman responded in an X post last month regarding Musk.
Musk has also been actively developing his own rival to OpenAI. In July 2023, he launched his AI startup, xAI.
xAI secured more than $12 billion in funding last year and was estimated to be worth around $50 billion. In June, Morgan Stanley reported that xAI raised $10 billion in both debt and equity to enhance its data centers and its chatbot, Grok.
OpenAI's most recent funding round placed its value at an estimated $300 billion.
Altman mentioned that Musk informed him he was departing from OpenAI because he believed it wasn't on a path to achieve success.