The long-running rivalry between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has once again exploded on social media, with the two tech leaders exchanging sharp jabs in a public war of words. The latest spat comes as OpenAI faces a trade secrets lawsuit filed by Apple, bringing renewed attention to the ongoing tensions surrounding the AI company.
The exchange began after Musk reposted a post on X from the account DogeDesigner, which claimed, “Elon Musk warned the world about Scam Altman. Now everyone is finding out why.” Reacting to the post, Musk accused Altman of taking “scamming to a whole new level,” escalating his long-running criticism of the OpenAI chief.
Altman didn’t hold back in his response. Taking aim at Musk’s plans to launch orbital data centres for AI infrastructure, he wrote, “Homeboy, you’re the one selling public market investors on short-term space datacenters,” mocking the billionaire’s vision for AI-powered space-based computing.
Musk quickly fired back with an even more personal response. “We start flying them next year. Maybe you can come see them if your parole officer approves,” he wrote. He further accused Altman of betraying OpenAI’s original mission, adding, “After stealing an open-source AI charity, you then stole all of Apple’s phone technology! Wow. What do you plan for an encore? That’s tough to beat.”
The heated exchange comes at a time when OpenAI is facing a trade secrets lawsuit from Apple, which alleges that confidential information related to future hardware products was misused. Although the legal matter remains separate from the social media feud, it has intensified public interest in the ongoing conflict between the two tech executives.
Altman later appeared to brush off Musk’s remarks while promoting OpenAI’s latest AI model. Referring to the company’s newest release, he joked on X, “There are a lot of benchmarks that suggest 5.6 Sol is the best model in the world right now, but the most reliable way to tell is that Elon is obsessed with me again.”
The latest online clash adds another chapter to the years-long feud between Musk and Altman, who have frequently disagreed over OpenAI’s direction, artificial intelligence safety, and the commercialization of AI. Their public exchanges continue to attract widespread attention, reflecting the growing competition among the biggest names in the global AI industry.