ELON MUSK LAUNCHES NEW AI PROJECT “MACROHARD” TO DIRECTLY CHALLENGE MICROSOFT

Elon Musk, who has spent the last two years turning his xAI venture into a central player in the artificial intelligence arms race, is starting yet another AI initiative—this one pointed directly at one of the industry’s biggest incumbents.

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The new project, named Macrohard, was unveiled in a characteristically cryptic late-night post, where Musk claimed the venture would “challenge Microsoft at its core.”

The announcement adds to Musk’s sprawling portfolio of Al-related efforts, from Grok, the conversational assistant embedded in X, to his calls for developing superintelligence safely. By creating Macrohard, Musk is signaling that he's not content to compete on the edges of AI applications—he wants to confront Microsoft in its stronghold: enterprise software, infrastructure, and developer tools.

WHY MACROHARD? THE TARGETING OF MICROSOFT

Musk has frequently sparred with Microsoft. He has criticized the company’s close partnership with OpenAl, arguing that it effectively gave Microsoft disproportionate influence over frontier AI. He has also voiced skepticism about Microsoft's use of AI in enterprise products like Windows Copilot and Office 365 Copilot, suggesting that the company is embedding generative AI without adequate safety controls.

By naming the project “Macrohard,” Musk is leaning into his trademark mix of provocation and branding. While he hasn't offered full details, people familiar with the effort suggest Macrohard will be positioned as an open alternative to Microsoft's AI ecosystem, with a focus on infrastructure and tools for developers rather than consumer-facing chatbots.

THE VISION: AI FOR DEVELOPERS, NOT JUST USERS