Following the U.S. presidential election, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s rival business leaders are feeling nervous. As Musk is expected to wield considerable influence in the next administration, there are growing concerns that he may use his power to pressure or target competing companies.
On the 2nd (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, has emerged as one of the most notable rivals to Musk due to their ongoing conflict. Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 with the goal of developing safe AI and researching artificial general intelligence (AGI) beneficial to humans. However, conflicts arose when Musk accused Altman of steering OpenAI away from its nonprofit mission towards profit-driven activities.
Musk resigned from the board of OpenAI and sold all his shares in 2018. Earlier this year, Musk filed a lawsuit against Altman but withdrew it after spending time with Altman at a technology conference in Montana in March. However, Musk filed the lawsuit again in August. The WSJ noted that, given Musk’s past behaviors, their conflict was expected to be temporary as Musk often starts fights that quickly pass.
However, after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, their relationship further deteriorated. Musk expanded the lawsuit, calling OpenAI a “market-paralyzing monster,” and continued his attacks by releasing personal emails with Altman on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and mocking Altman with the nickname “Scammy Sam” in Trump’s style. A source close to the Trump camp told WSJ that “Altman is now considered ‘persona non grata’ in the Trump administration.”
The WSJ also reported that other competitors of Musk, such as Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, are increasingly nervous. These CEOs, who have been at odds with Musk, are worried that Musk’s influence might work against them.
Bill Gates faced Musk’s wrath over shorting Tesla stock, and Musk mocked Gates with a photo and remarks on X. Jeff Bezos has clashed with Musk over space ventures between SpaceX and Blue Origin, while Mark Zuckerberg engaged in disputes following the launch of Meta’s competing platform, Threads. Some companies, considering Musk’s political influence, are reportedly refraining from making public statements and are engaging in lobbying efforts to improve relations with the Trump administration.
Musk, who played a significant role in Trump’s election victory, has been appointed as the head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the upcoming administration. In addition to his role at DOGE, Musk is expected to influence major policy decisions as one of Trump’s closest associates.