Thursday marked an unusual moment in President Donald Trump’s interactions with tech leaders, as he engaged in a heated exchange with Elon Musk and Sam Altman over an $500 billion AI project he recently announced. Musk had criticized the deal, calling it into question by questioning the funds involved, but Trump dismissed the criticism as mere “bad blood,” stating that it was simply a matter of personal enmity toward one of the companies involved.
In his remarks at the Oval Office, Trump appeared to direct his frustration toward Altman, calling him “one of the people in the deal” and expressing his “hatred.” The project involves collaboration between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, with Trump promising to invest $500 billion over the next decade. Despite Musk’s public criticism, Trump maintained that no one was stopping the deal and expressed hope that the private companies would follow through on their commitment.
Musk’s comments sparked immediate backlash from Trump, who called the criticism “very public frustration” but denied any wrongdoing himself. The incident highlights the growing tension between Trump and his inner circle, particularly as Musk has been actively involved in White House events, including Trump’s pardoning of former SilkRoad founder Ross William Ulbricht.
In a recent ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, Musk has accused Sam Altman of not honoring the nonprofit mission of the AI company behind ChatGPT by reserving key technologies for private use. While the companies involved in the Stargate project have not yet disclosed their funding contributions, it appears they are confident enough to proceed without immediate banking needs, possibly through debt financing or additional equity investors.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s White House press secretary, has denied claims that the former CEO’s criticism was unwarranted, stating that Trump and the leaders in question should be judged by their words. Meanwhile, CNN contributor Hadas Gold provided further context to this complex situation.
The incident underscores the delicate balance between political ambition and corporate interests under Trump’s administration.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/23/tech/elon-musk-trump-ai-sam-altman/index.html