'Scam Altman': Musk and Altman's weekend conflict on X

      Elon Musk lost his legal battle against Sam Altman in court. This past weekend, he attempted to reclaim the narrative on X, exchanging insults one after another.

      The two individuals who co-founded OpenAI spent the weekend publicly calling each other frauds, with the exchanges occurring on X and witnessed by millions. Musk labeled Altman a “scammer” over half a dozen times, while Altman turned the insults into a promotional tactic, joined by X's head of product.

      The conflict was not truly about legalities. It centered on who gets to narrate the AI revolution and which company the market trusts.

      **How it began**

      The catalyst was a lawsuit, but it wasn't filed by Musk. On Friday, Apple sued OpenAI, alleging theft of hardware trade secrets. Musk seized the opportunity. “Scam Altman strikes again ...,” he tweeted, following a report by CNBC’s Jordan Novet.

      Moments later, he reiterated, “He takes scamming to a whole new level.” He then shared a photo of Altman with the caption “I’m doing this because I love it”, adding his own comment, “by this he means scamming,” with two laughing emojis.

      Shortly after, he concluded, “He might literally love scamming more than any human alive!”

      **Altman responds**

      Altman wasn’t going to remain silent. “[H]omeboy you’re the one selling public market investors on short-term space datacenters,” he replied, targeting SpaceX’s plan to launch data centers into space. His post garnered over 11 million views. Musk shot back that the first ones would launch next year and invited Altman to watch “if your parole officer approves.”

      Altman’s most cutting remark reframed the debate entirely. He wrote that many benchmarks indicated his new model was the best worldwide, noting, “but the most reliable way to tell is that Elon is obsessed with me again.”

      The back-and-forth grew. When another user suggested Altman was afraid of Apple, he clearly stated he respected them, writing “not afraid of apple, but i have tremendous respect for them. s-tier company.” Nikita Bier, X's head of product, couldn't resist adding to the conversation with a jab at the lawsuit: “Incredible trade secrets as well, some of the best.” Musk responded with a laughing emoji.

      He wasn’t done yet, asserting, “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.” OpenAI clarified that it had no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.

      **The roots of their rivalry**

      The animosity has deep roots. Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit. Musk departed from the board in 2018 and later sued in 2024, accusing Altman and OpenAI of abandoning their foundational mission by turning the lab into a profit-driven entity. The trial was held this year.

      In May, the jury ruled in Altman's favor, and Musk announced plans to appeal. Since then, he has turned Grok into OpenAI's most vocal competitor, now being developed within SpaceX alongside X and Starlink.

      **The conflict takes internal form**

      This feud isn't limited to social media. Musk has directed Tesla employees to switch to Grok for internal AI projects, citing lower token costs and encouraging staff to email him their feedback.

      He later challenged the portrayal on X, stating, “Legacy media is misrepresenting the situation.” He clarified that he had only requested Tesla and SpaceX to test Grok 4.5 to see if it met their needs, not to use it exclusively, and said staff should continue with other AI models if those performed better than Grok. Even within his own companies, the tensions are partially substantive and partially about image.

      **The timing reveals intention**

      The timing of these exchanges is no coincidence. Both individuals launched key models this week: OpenAI introduced GPT-5.6 Sol, while SpaceX released Grok 4.5. Both labs compete for the same customer base.

      Furthermore, both founders are looking for Wall Street’s favor. SpaceX recently raised a record $75bn during its market debut, while OpenAI has filed confidentially for its own public listing. Each has a motive to undermine the other’s credibility.

      Not everyone believes either lab warrants such attention. Yann LeCun, former chief AI scientist at Meta, has labeled xAI a failure and cautioned against a bubble, contributing to the heightened tensions.

      The court case may be concluded, but the rivalry continues. Two men who once built the same company now lead the two loudest AI labs, and neither can afford to let the other slide. The next chapter won’t be resolved in a courtroom; it will depend on the story the market chooses to believe.