eFinder

eFinder

Home › The Nature of AI Development (Profit vs. Non-Profit) › Article

Inside Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s battle to be ‘first buddy,’ how it ended up in court and could destroy OpenAI

Nypost · · 1450 words · By Chadwick Moore
The Nature of AI Development (Profit vs. Non-Profit) Financial Status and Wealth Comparison Tech Rivalry and Corporate Conflict
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/elon-musks-feud-with-sam-altman-explained/

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 50% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
warning
Cherry Picking 60% confidence
Selectively presenting evidence that supports one side while ignoring contrary evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

24 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 14
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
“Inside the rotunda at Donald Trump’s second inauguration the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, went down the line shaking hands with each tech billionaire who showed up to kiss the ring — all except Elon Musk.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is reported in a web search result detailing the event ('Elon Musk's feud with Sam Altman explained'), but the provided evidence does not contain multiple independent sources confirming the specific detail that Kushner shook hands with every tech billionaire *except* Elon Musk. The evidence confirms the event and the presence of Kushner and Musk, but not the specific exclusion pattern described.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles Kushner (born May 16, 1954) is an American real-estate developer, diplomat, felon and disbarred attorney serving since 2025 as the United States ambassador to France and Monaco. He founded Kus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kushner
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman, investor, and government official. Through his marriage to Ivanka Trump, he is the son-in-law of the 45th and 47th president of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Kushner family is an American family involved in real estate development. The family originated from Novogrudok, Poland, and now Belarus, and is based in the New York metropolitan area. Joseph Kus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushner_family
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“It was an odd slight from Kushner to pass over the man who just spent $290 million of his own money to help get Trump elected, while the others — Google’s Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — had traditionally backed Democrats or leaned with Silicon Valley’s liberal culture.”
SINGLE SOURCE
This claim synthesizes several specific details (Musk spending $290M, Pichai/Zuckerberg/Bezos's traditional leanings) that are not independently corroborated across multiple sources. While the evidence mentions Musk's involvement and the presence of tech figures, it does not provide the specific financial contribution amount ($290 million) or the detailed political leanings of the named individuals in relation to the inauguration event.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration in the United States. It was first suggested to Donald Trump by Elon Musk in 2024, and was officially…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Government_Effic…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kai Madison Trump (born May 12, 2007) is an American social media personality. A member of the Trump family, she is the eldest child of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Pergolizzi and the eldest grandchil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Trump
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The network of the Department of Government Efficiency consists of affiliates and allies associated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the second presidency of Donald Trump. DOGE m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_of_the_Department_of_G…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Two days after the inauguration, Musk’s very public budding bromance with the Commander-in-Chief was dealt another blow when the president announced an ambitious $500 billion AI data center deal, Stargate, in a joint venture with tech giant OpenAI — icing out Musk’s own budding AI company.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that two days after the inauguration, Trump announced a large AI deal involving OpenAI and other ventures, specifically mentioning a $500 billion figure and the joint venture nature of the project. This is reported across different search snippets.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — An AI data center is a specialized data center facility designed for the computationally intensive tasks of training and running inference for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning models.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_data_center
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) research organization consisting of a for-profit public benefit corporation (PBC) and a nonprofit foundation, headquartered in San Francisco. OpenAI …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — X.AI Corp., doing business as xAI, is an American company working in the area of artificial intelligence (AI), social media and technology that is a wholly owned subsidiary of American aerospace compa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XAI_(company)
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
““He hates one of the people in the deal,” Trump bluntly told reporters of Musk during a press conference about Stargate.”
CORROBORATED
The exact quote and context—Trump telling reporters that he 'hates one of the people in the deal' while discussing Stargate—is reported in multiple, distinct web search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Though Trump said that Musk 'hates' one of the Person in the deal. While addressing reporters at White House, Trump mentioned that Musk’s criticism comes from a personal grudge.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/he-hates-one-of-the…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “He hates one of the people in the deal.” The President’s response was likely referencing Altman, who has a long history of strained relations with Musk that has now spilled over into the second Trump…
https://fortune.com/2025/01/24/donald-trump-sam-altman-opena…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “He hates one of the people in the deal,” Trump bluntly told reporters of Musk during a press conference about Stargate. Trump was referring to OpenAI boss Sam Altman. Musk, boss of Tesla and Space X,…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/elon-musks-feud-with-s…
check_circle
“Trump was referring to OpenAI boss Sam Altman.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results directly interpret and report that Trump's comment about hating someone was specifically referencing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, citing the context of the feud.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — An AI data center is a specialized data center facility designed for the computationally intensive tasks of training and running inference for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning models.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_data_center
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) research organization consisting of a for-profit public benefit corporation (PBC) and a nonprofit foundation, headquartered in San Francisco. OpenAI …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stargate Project, incorporated in Delaware as Stargate LLC, is an American multinational artificial intelligence (AI) joint venture created by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and investment firm MGX. The ve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_LLC
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Musk, boss of Tesla and Space X, immediately took to the social media platform he owns, X, to call Altman a “swindler” and a “liar” and claimed Stargate didn’t have the funds it purported to.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is corroborated by multiple web search results detailing Musk's immediate reaction on X, calling Altman a 'swindler' and 'liar,' and questioning the funding of Stargate.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) research organization consisting of a for-profit public benefit corporation (PBC) and a nonprofit foundation, headquartered in San Francisco. OpenAI …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Space-based data centers or orbital AI infrastructure are proposed concepts to build AI data centers in the sun-synchronous orbit or other orbits utilizing space-based solar power. Electric power has…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_data_center
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stargate Project, incorporated in Delaware as Stargate LLC, is an American multinational artificial intelligence (AI) joint venture created by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and investment firm MGX. The ve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_LLC
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“One tech industry insider who spoke to The Post suggested Musk’s entire election year blitz — which saw him become a MAGA superstar overnight through his get-out-the-vote operations and high-profile appearances with Trump — had less to do with politics and more to do with currying favor away from Altman.”
SINGLE SOURCE
This specific interpretation—that Musk's political efforts were motivated more by gaining favor away from Altman rather than genuine political conviction—is presented by one web search result ('Elon Musk's feud with Sam Altman explained'), but no other independent sources corroborate this specific motive.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Musk is a supporter of global far-right figures, causes, and political parties. He was the largest donor in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, where Musk supported Donald Trump.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — President Trump was courted by both Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and while the Tesla founder initially seemed to emerge victorious, he was mad when his arch-nemesis started winning contracts.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/elon-musks-feud-with-s…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tech. Elon Musk.Musk did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment. This might prove overly optimistic, with the CEO of OpenAI conceding his prediction “may turn out to be proven wrong.” Musk has b…
https://fortune.com/2025/01/06/sam-altman-elon-musk-politica…
check_circle
“A former associate of Musk agrees that he never seemed political before 2024: “Politics is a backstabbing world, and I was really shocked that Elon got involved in it.””
CORROBORATED
The statement that a former associate noted Musk's lack of prior political involvement before 2024 is reported in at least two separate web search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk wielding a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2025, imitating a publicity stunt used by Javier Milei symbolic of efficiency, federal mass layoffs and tax cutt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A former associate of Musk agrees that he never seemed political before 2024: “Politics is a backstabbing world, and I was really shocked that Elon got involved in it.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/elon-musks-feud-with-s…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Elon Musk is a business magnet, entrepreneur and engineer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcYjXbSJBN8
help
““The Elon I knew was very libertarian, a live-and-let-live sort of attitude, not particularly right or left. I suspect some of the politics with him are just who he’s around.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, as indicated by the evidence source count and the search results provided.
help
“Jared’s brother, Joshua, through his Thrive Capital is one of OpenAI’s more significant financial backers, making a series of investments between 2022 and 2026 totaling well over $2 billion.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, as indicated by the evidence source count and the search results provided.
schedule
“And once Musk had a brief fall out with Trump in June 2025, Altman was quick to step in and by September was accompanying the president to the UK to discuss AI initiatives.”
PENDING
schedule
“Musk, then on his way to becoming the richest man in the world, was an early donor and co-founder of OpenAI in 2015.”
PENDING
schedule
“He claims he put in $38 million in seed money and recruited top talent for the project, which was then a non-profit.”
PENDING
schedule
“Musk is suing OpenAI, Altman, co-founder Greg Brockman and the company’s biggest investor, Microsoft, which owns a 27% stake in the company.”
PENDING
schedule
“He alleges in the lawsuit he was “manipulated” by “Altman’s “long con” and OpenAI has breached its founding nonprofit mission — to develop AI for humanity’s benefit and not for profit — by shifting to a for-profit structure and partnering closely with Microsoft.”
PENDING
schedule
“In 2018, after Altman named himself president of OpenAI, Musk publicly stepped down from its board of directors, stating a conflict of interest as he was starting his own AI operation for his car company Tesla’s autonomous driving program.”
PENDING
schedule
“Since that time he’s also launched his own commercial venture, Grok AI, which partners with X.”
PENDING
schedule
“In the lawsuit, Musk demands the company return as much as $150 billion in “ill-gotten” gains to OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, fire CEO Altman and president Brockman and unwind their for-profit restructuring.”
PENDING
schedule
“OpenAI has called Musk’s lawsuit “baseless,” a “sham” and a “harassment campaign.””
PENDING
schedule
“Although OpenAI is valued at over $850 billion, it only has an annual revenue of around $20 billion.”
PENDING
schedule
“The company’s chatbot, ChatGPT, boasts 900 million weekly users, only 50 million of which are paid subscribers.”
PENDING
schedule
“The founder, who has one child by surrogacy with software engineer husband Oliver Mulherin, revels in the high life—owning a $27 million San Francisco mansion; a $16 million Napa Valley ranch; a 22-acre, $49 million Hawaii compound; a $250 million superyacht with a helipad and at least two hypercars, including a $20 million McLaren F1.”
PENDING
schedule
“He recently sold off all his property, believing possessions “weigh you down,” and has been known to sleep on office floors and borrowed sofas.”
PENDING
schedule
“At that company Musk sat in a cubicle rather than a fancy corner office and rolled up to work each morning in a red Tesla Model 3 — not even his car company’s spiffiest model, recalled AI researcher and former SpaceX employee Vincent Peters to The Post.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.