Published 08:56 IST, January 23rd 2025
Elon Musk's 'Liar' Jab at Sam Altman After OpenAI CEO Says X Chief 'Not a Nice Person'
The verbal war between Elon Musk and Sam Altman continues with the X Chief calling Altman a 'liar' after the latter said he was 'not a nice person'.

Washington: The war of words between once-upon-a-time partners, Elon Musk and Sam Altman continues to increase as they attack each other on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter). In a latest, after Sam Altman's ‘not a nice person’ attack, Elon Musk has called him a ‘liar’.
‘What A Liar’: Elon Musk's Jab at Sam Altman
The feud between the Tesla and OpenAI Chiefs over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by President Donald Trump continues to escalate. Amid several attacking words, Musk has called him a 'liar after Altman's ‘not a nice person’ remark for Musk.
An ‘X’ post by ‘Tesla Owners Silicon Valley’ quoted a Reuters report and said that OpenAI is transitioning from non-profit to profit and that CEO Sam Altman will be getting 7% of the company. Responding to that social media post, Elon Musk called Sam Altman a liar for OpenAI compensation; he said, “Altman literally testified to Congress that he wouldn’t get OpenAI compensation and now he wants $10 billion! What a liar.”
‘Not a Nice Person’: Sam Altman Launches Attack on Musk
An ‘X’ user asked Sam Altman to uncover Elon Musk's ‘real mask’ about whether he is an ’inspiring entrepreneur' or ‘not a nice person’; to this, Altman responded with, “Both are true! i dont think he's a nice person or treating us fairly but you have to respect the guy and he pushes all of us to be more ambitious.”
Elon Musk vs Sam Altman Over Stargate AI Infrastructure Project
Elon Musk is clashing with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by President Donald Trump, the latest in a feud between the two tech billionaires that started on OpenAI’s board and is now testing Musk’s influence with the new president.
But Musk, a close Trump adviser who helped bankroll his campaign and now leads a government cost-cutting initiative, questioned the value of the investment hours later. “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”
Altman responded Wednesday to say Musk was “wrong, as you surely know” and inviting Musk to come visit the first site in Texas that is already under construction. "(T)his is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you’ll mostly put (America) first,” Altman wrote, using a U.S. flag emoji to represent America.
All About Stargate AI Project and Feud Between Musk and Altman
Trump on Tuesday had talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion through a new partnership formed by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, alongside Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, is already starting to build out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of fast-evolving AI technology. Trump declared it “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his new administration, with an initial private investment of $100 billion that could reach five times that sum.
The public clash over Stargate is part of a years-long dispute between Musk and Altman that began with a boardroom rivalry over who should run OpenAI, which both men helped found.Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company last year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully.
A hearing is set for February in a California federal court. The world’s richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI, that is building its own big data center in Memphis, Tennessee. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT.
(Inputs from AP)
Updated 08:56 IST, January 23rd 2025