Elon Musk and Sam Altman founded OpenAI together, but now they're publicly trading barbs. Here's the history of their relationship and feuds.

Sarah Jackson,Grace KayMar 30, 2023, 16:00 IST

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk have a long history.Getty

Elon Musk helped found OpenAI, but he has spoken out against the company in recent years.
Earlier this month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called some of the billionaire's assertions "not true."

Musk and Altman cofounded OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in 2015, alongside other Silicon Valley figures, including Peter Thiel, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Y Combinator cofounder Jessica Livingston.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk have a long history.Getty

Musk and Altman cofounded OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in 2015, alongside other Silicon Valley figures, including Peter Thiel, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Y Combinator cofounder Jessica Livingston.

At the time, Musk said that AI was the "biggest existential threat" to humanity.

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Musk stepped down from OpenAI's board of directors in 2018.

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Earlier this month, it was reported that Sam Altman and other OpenAI cofounders had rejected Musk's proposal to run the company in 2018.

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In 2019, Musk shared some insight on his decision to leave, saying one of the reasons was that he "didn't agree" with where OpenAI was headed.

Elon Musk.Susan Walsh/AP

Musk has taken shots at OpenAI on several occasions since leaving.

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In December 2022, days after OpenAI released ChatGPT, Musk said the company had prior access to the database of Twitter — now owned by Musk — to train the AI chatbot and that he was putting that on hold.

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In December 2022, days after OpenAI released ChatGPT, Musk said the company had prior access to the database of Twitter — now owned by Musk — to train the AI chatbot and that he was putting that on hold.

Musk was reportedly furious about ChatGPT's success, Semafor reported earlier this month.

Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, speaks at the 2015 Automotive News World Congress January 13, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. More than 5,000 journalists from around the world will see approximately 45 new vehicles unveiled during the 2015 NAIAS, which opens to the public January 17 and concludes January 25.Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Last month, Musk doubled down, saying OpenAI as it exists today is "not what I intended at all."

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Musk repeated this assertion earlier this month.

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On Monday, the Tesla CEO took a dig at Microsoft founder Bill Gates, calling his understanding of AI "limited."

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Altman recently addressed some of Musk's gripes about OpenAI.

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Altman also referred to Musk as one of his heroes despite the fact Musk is "obviously attacking" OpenAI on Twitter.

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Most recently, Musk was one of more than 1,000 people who signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on training advanced AI systems.

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Check out these images of what an AI created when trying to read a person's mind

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Elon Musk and Sam Altman founded OpenAI together, but now they're publicly trading barbs. Here's the history of their relationship and feuds.

Musk and Altman cofounded OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in 2015, alongside other Silicon Valley figures, including Peter Thiel, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Y Combinator cofounder Jessica Livingston.

At the time, Musk said that AI was the "biggest existential threat" to humanity.

Musk stepped down from OpenAI's board of directors in 2018.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Sam Altman and other OpenAI cofounders had rejected Musk's proposal to run the company in 2018.

In 2019, Musk shared some insight on his decision to leave, saying one of the reasons was that he "didn't agree" with where OpenAI was headed.

Musk has taken shots at OpenAI on several occasions since leaving.

In December 2022, days after OpenAI released ChatGPT, Musk said the company had prior access to the database of Twitter — now owned by Musk — to train the AI chatbot and that he was putting that on hold.

Musk was reportedly furious about ChatGPT's success, Semafor reported earlier this month.

Last month, Musk doubled down, saying OpenAI as it exists today is "not what I intended at all."

Musk repeated this assertion earlier this month.

On Monday, the Tesla CEO took a dig at Microsoft founder Bill Gates, calling his understanding of AI "limited."

Altman recently addressed some of Musk's gripes about OpenAI.

Altman also referred to Musk as one of his heroes despite the fact Musk is "obviously attacking" OpenAI on Twitter.

Most recently, Musk was one of more than 1,000 people who signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on training advanced AI systems.