Musk versus Altman: Act II of a Shakespearean drama

Their friction goes back to the foundational ideals of OpenAI but now both seem to have Trump's favour

- SRINATH SRIDHARAN

The global theatre of technology has long offered us a ringside view of a stage where visionaries have bitterly opposed each other, alliances have formed and ended, and betrayals abound. Now, Elon Musk and Sam Altman find themselves cast as rivals in a tale of ambition, ideals and perhaps revenge. Like a Shakespearean play, their history of mutual confrontation is laced with moral dilemmas, whispered conspiracies and unhidden ambitions of global influence.

When OpenAI was founded in 2015, its vision was nothing short of utopian: to create artificial intelligence that would benefit all of humanity. Musk, one of its co-founders, stood as a towering figure behind this mission, pledging not just money, but a sense of moral purpose. Yet, as with many grand ventures, cracks began to form. By 2018, Musk had left the organization. What began as a quiet exit has since turned into a public battle, with Musk accusing OpenAI of abandoning its ideals and becoming a profit-driven enterprise tied too closely to Microsoft.

The apparent animosity reached its peak last year when Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman. The owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X argued that OpenAI had betrayed its founding principles, transforming itself into what he derisively termed "ClosedAI." Musk's accusations were damning: a betrayal of trust, a compromise of transparency, and a reckless pursuit of corporate gain. But in a plot twist worthy of the Bard, Musk abruptly withdrew that lawsuit within months, leaving observers puzzled. Was it a strategic retreat, a prelude to something more, or an unseen truce struck behind closed doors?