‘Scam Altman’: Inside Musk and Altman’s Weekend War on X
The Two Founders Clash
Elon Musk and Sam Altman, co-founders of OpenAI, engaged in a public war of words over the weekend, following Apple’s lawsuit against the company. Musk repeatedly branded Altman a "scammer," while Altman turned the insults into a marketing strategy. This real-time exchange played out on X (formerly Twitter) in front of millions of viewers.
Background:
The conflict began with Apple suing OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware trade secrets. Musk responded by attacking Altman, whom he accused of "scamming."
The Insults Fly
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Musk’s Accusations:
- "Scam Altman strikes again…”
- "He takes scamming to a whole new level."
- "I’m doing this because I love it [by this he means scamming]."
- "He might literally love scamming more than any human alive!"
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Altman’s Response:
- "[H]omeboy you’re the one selling public market investors on short-term space datacenters."
- "Plenty of benchmarks suggested his new model was the best in the world, but the most reliable way to tell is that Elon is obsessed with me again."
The Debate Escalates
Other users joined in, including Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, who commented on the lawsuit. Musk responded with a laughing emoji. He continued to accuse Altman of stealing Apple’s technology and questioned his next move. OpenAI maintained it had no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.
Underlying Grudge
The animosity between them dates back to 2015 when they co-founded OpenAI as a non-profit. Musk left the board in 2018, and in 2024, he sued Altman and OpenAI for allegedly betraying the founding mission by turning it into a for-profit entity. A jury sided with Altman in May of this year, and Musk plans to appeal.