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Sam Altman Says He 'Didn't Think' Elon Musk Would Abuse Government Power, Tesla CEO Hits Back With 'Scam Altman' Jibe

Benzinga·06/20/2025 12:24:47
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OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman says he "didn't think Elon was going to abuse his power in the government to unfairly compete" but now believes he was wrong after Tesla's founder allegedly tried to derail OpenAI's $500 billion "Stargate" data-center deal.

What Happened: Altman made the remarks on the first episode of the OpenAI Podcast, adding, "I regret to say I was wrong about that … I'm grateful the administration did the right thing and stood up to his behaviour." The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Musk lobbied officials to block the project unless it included his own startup, xAI.

Stargate aims to build the world's largest cluster of AI data centers outside the United States, with a first gigawatt-scale site in Abilene, Texas, slated to go online in 2026. SoftBank will finance the multi-phase complex, Son Masayoshi will chair it and OpenAI will operate the facilities. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) and MGX (NASDAQ:MGX) have taken minority stakes.

Hours after the podcast dropped, Musk posted on X, "Scam Altman strikes again." He has repeatedly accused OpenAI, which he co-founded as a nonprofit in 2015, of becoming "a closed-source de-facto subsidiary" of Microsoft and sued the lab for allegedly abandoning its original mission.

See also: Elon Musk’s Tesla To Build First Grid-Scale Energy Storage Site In China With $550 Million Investment

Why It Matters: Altman warns that attempts to kneecap rivals will slow domestic capacity and "be unfortunate for the country," but predicted Stargate will proceed “at the speed we want.”

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft has not been at its best lately. OpenAI is weighing whether to accuse Microsoft of anticompetitive tactics and ask federal regulators to scrutinize their contract, a move that could upend the companies' once-cozy alliance, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Executives want to curb Microsoft's sway over OpenAI's products and computing power, yet they still need Microsoft's approval to convert OpenAI into a fully for-profit business that could raise more capital or go public. The firm's planned Texas data-center buildout likewise aims to lessen reliance on Microsoft's cloud resources.

Image via Shutterstock

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