Elon Musk intends to legally challenge OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as their disagreement intensifies.
In an intense public dispute that unfolded in August 2025, tech moguls Elon Musk and Sam Altman have accused each other of manipulating their respective platforms for personal gain and to harm competitors.
The row began when Musk accused Apple of anticompetitive practices, claiming that the tech giant manipulated App Store rankings to favour OpenAI's ChatGPT app over his own AI company, xAI, and its product Grok. Musk threatened legal action based on antitrust grounds.
In response, Altman called Musk's claims "remarkable" given allegations he himself manipulates X's algorithm to boost his own tweets and companies while harming competitors and people he dislikes. Altman shared an article citing that Musk created a special system on X to prominently display his tweets above others, reinforcing the accusation of algorithm manipulation for personal gain.
Musk denied these allegations and responded sharply, but Altman challenged him to sign an affidavit denying he directed algorithmic changes that hurt competitors.
This dispute is part of an ongoing rivalry between the two tech figures since Musk’s departure from OpenAI’s board in 2018, coinciding with the launch of Musk’s own AI ventures competing with OpenAI. Since then, Musk has become one of Altman's most vocal critics and has filed multiple lawsuits against OpenAI.
Meanwhile, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that GPT-5 would be integrated into all Microsoft platforms. In response, Musk claimed that Apple's actions make it impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI to reach number one in the App Store, which he deemed a clear violation of antitrust law.
The feud continued with both parties trading barbs on X, with Musk accusing Altman of using bots to artificially inflate his engagement numbers. Altman responded by stating that Musk's lower engagement numbers could be due to a "skill issue".
In a surprising turn of events, Musk claimed that Grok 4 Heavy was already smarter than GPT-5 two weeks ago. However, Altman remained focused on developing great products and expressed hope for investigative journalism on the matter.
In a recent development, Altman posted an affidavit asking Musk to sign that he has never made any changes to the X algorithm that have harmed his competitors or helped his own companies. As of now, these are public accusations without disclosed legal conclusions.
The exchange between Musk and Altman serves as a reminder of the intense competition and potential for conflict in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence.
[1] CNBC Interview with Elon Musk, August 2025 [2] Sam Altman's Twitter Post, August 2025 [3] Elon Musk's Twitter Post, August 2025 [4] 2023 Article titled "Yes, Elon Musk has created a special system to show you all his tweets first." [5] Business Insider Test Results, August 2025
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