Sam Altman Calls Musk a 'Bully,' Says He'd Still Work With Him

Sam Altman says he and Elon Musk can still work together. In a Vanity Fair interview reported by TheWrap, the OpenAI CEO called his co-founder a "bully" but also said he would "of course" work with him.

Altman explained his stance during the conversation. He said he doesn't like bullies and thinks Musk is one, but that sometimes you have to "punch a bully back in the nose" to earn their respect. He suggested that his occasional public criticism of Musk is part of what makes cooperation possible.

The two go back a long way. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and served as co-chair until 2018, when he resigned citing potential conflicts with Tesla's AI work. The relationship soured further in 2024, when Musk sued Altman and OpenAI, accusing them of shifting from public benefit to profit optimization. OpenAI countersued, alleging "bad-faith tactics" to damage the company's reputation.

In April, Musk amended his complaint to try to stop OpenAI's transition to a for-profit entity. But in May, a federal jury ruled against Musk, saying he missed his deadlines to sue.

Altman, for his part, insists he wants to collaborate with Musk. "I really want to emphasize how willing I am and how willing I think our whole company is to work with them," he told Vanity Fair, adding, "We feel the weight of this."

TheWrap notes Altman also called Musk "not nice" while still expressing a desire to move forward together.

• Elon Musk
• OpenAI
• Sam Altman
• TheWrap
• Vanity Fair