OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has brushed off comments from Elon Musk suggesting that OpenAI will eventually overshadow Microsoft, following news that the company’s latest AI model will be integrated into Microsoft’s products.
On Thursday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that GPT-5 will roll out across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and Azure AI Foundry. Musk quickly reacted on X, claiming, “OpenAI is going to eat Microsoft alive.”
Nadella dismissed the remark, noting that innovation thrives in a mix of partnership and competition. He also expressed enthusiasm for Musk’s own Grok 4 chatbot, currently available in a limited preview on Azure.
Altman offered his own response during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday. Asked about Musk’s comment, he replied, “You know, I don’t think about him that much.” He went on to question the intent behind Musk’s statements, adding, “I thought he was just, like, tweeting all day about how much OpenAI sucks, and our model is bad, and, you know, we’re not gonna be a good company and all that.”
Longstanding Feud Between Co-Founders
The rivalry between Altman and Musk stretches back to their split over OpenAI’s direction. Founded together in 2015 as a nonprofit AI research lab, the company has since transformed into a for-profit entity and secured significant backing from Microsoft. Musk has been a vocal critic of the shift, even filing — and later dropping — a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging breach of contract.
Earlier this year, Musk led a consortium that offered $97.4 billion to acquire the nonprofit controlling OpenAI. Altman declined, responding with a pointed social media post suggesting OpenAI would instead be willing to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion. At the time, Altman told CNBC he believed the bid was intended to “slow down a competitor.”
Author’s Opinion
The public sparring between Altman and Musk has reached the point where their feud risks overshadowing the actual technology. While competitive tension can drive innovation, constant jabs can distract from the work and shape public perception in ways that aren’t always productive. If both leaders focused more on product breakthroughs than personal digs, the industry — and users — might benefit more.
Featured image credit: DonanimHaber
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