OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mocks Musk over Trump split: ‘Elon busts up with everybody, that's what he does'
Altman and Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but had a falling out in 2018. Disagreements over the company's direction — particularly whether it should remain non-profit — led Musk to depart and set off a long-running feud. The rivalry has since played out in legal filings and public jabs.
Once close allies, Musk and Trump have recently turned on each other following Musk's announcement of the 'America Party' — a third-party political movement that could complicate Trump's 2026 midterms. Trump reportedly called Musk a 'train wreck' after the split.
Altman, when asked whether he would support Musk's new political venture, didn't hold back.
'I don't know. I haven't had a chance to read about it,' he said, offering a veiled jab at the party and its chaotic rollout.
Despite previously donating $1 million to Trump's 2016 inauguration fund, Altman has largely stayed out of partisan politics — until now. In January, he appeared at the White House with Trump to promote the Stargate AI project, a $500 billion federal initiative focused on artificial intelligence and national infrastructure.
Trump and Musk's friendship began unraveling after Musk publicly rejected Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' — a piece of legislation seen as a centerpiece of the President's economic revival agenda. Musk's rejection of the bill reportedly infuriated Trump, accelerating their rift.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
17 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Dollar catches breath, Brazil real slides on tariff threat; bitcoin near record high
The U.S. dollar slipped further from a two-week high versus major peers on Thursday, as President Donald Trump's latest tariff salvos failed to shake markets, except in Brazil where a threatened 50% levy sent the real sliding as much as 2.8% overnight. ADVERTISEMENT The dollar felt additional weight from a sharp decline in U.S. Treasury yields following a strong auction of 10-year notes on Wednesday, tempering worries about the "Sell America" narrative that had seen Treasuries, the dollar and Wall Street stocks sold off in tandem earlier this year. Overall, investors were hungry for riskier assets with the most damaging tariff scenarios looking increasingly unlikely, helping Nvidia become the first stock ever with a $4 trillion valuation, and lifting cryptocurrency bitcoin to an all-time peak just shy of $112,000. Sentiment also drew support from minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting, with most policymakers of the opinion that interest rate cuts will be appropriate later this year. The dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers, eased 0.1% to 97.286, extending a 0.2% decline from Wednesday, the same day that it pushed to the highest since June 25 at 97.837 before losing momentum. With the exception of Brazil, Trump's latest batch of letters to trade partners contained tariff rates close to those already proposed in his original "Liberation Day" announcement on April 2, as had been the case with other letters this week. ADVERTISEMENT Trump has also left the door open to extensions beyond the new August 1 deadline if countries make compelling proposals. Brazil had originally been slated for just the baseline 10% levy, but Trump cited not just trade practices but the treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro. ADVERTISEMENT Bolsonaro, who was friendly with Trump when they were both in office, is on trial on charges of plotting a coup to stop current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023. The real plunged as low as 5.6047 per dollar for the first time since June 6 overnight, and was last changing hands at 5.5826 per dollar. ADVERTISEMENT "It is a reminder of Trump's penchant for tariffs as a tool against a wide range of grievances, trade fairness or otherwise," Taylor Nugent, senior markets economist at National Australia Bank, wrote in a client note. While the latest batch of letters failed to move markets much outside of Brazil, Nugent said, "more interesting is the letters we haven't seen, with India, the EU, and Taiwan conspicuous examples." ADVERTISEMENT Trump and other officials have said several times lately that a deal with India is close, while the European Union is also edging toward a framework agreement. The euro gained 0.2% to $1.1747 on Thursday, while sterling added 0.2% to $1.3612. The dollar drooped 0.3% to 145.84 yen and fell 0.3% to 0.7922 Swiss franc. Bitcoin crept up 0.3% to around $111,114, inching back towards the all-time high hit overnight of $111,988.90. "The new record high came on improved risk sentiment," IG analyst Tony Sycamore wrote in a note to clients. "While the push to new highs hasn't yet sparked the fireworks the market might have been hoping for, there is scope for bitcoin to make further gains towards $120,000." (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Hans India
26 minutes ago
- Hans India
48% fall in M&A/PE deals in June qtr
New Delhi: Merger &Acquisition (M&A) and Private Equity (PE) deals declined sharply by 48 per cent in value terms to $17 billion in April-June compared to the previous quarter due to mounting global uncertainties and a cautious investment climate, according to consultancy firm Grant Thornton Bharat. In volume terms, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and PE deals dropped by 13 per cent to 582 in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter. India's M&A and private equity landscape experienced a significant slowdown in April-June 2025, with deal volumes and values both taking a hit due to mounting global uncertainties and a cautious investment climate, GTBharat said. A total of 582 transactions (including IPOs and QIPs) amounting to $17 billion were reported during the June quarter. This marks the lowest quarterly deal value since Q2 2023. After excluding public market activity, 554 deals were recorded, with a combined value of $12.8 billion. The decline is attributed to ongoing geopolitical tensions, including the Iran-Israel conflict, policy uncertainties surrounding the Trump presidency, the Russia-Ukraine war, and surging gold prices, which collectively dampened investor sentiment. 'Despite the slowdown, the sustained momentum in private equity investments, the emergence of new unicorns, and a promising uptick in public market activity towards the quarter-end are encouraging indicators.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
27 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump's ‘Ice Maiden' says Musk had ‘a very troublesome ending' with US president
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles says the rift between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk is 'troublesome' but ultimately just a 'little hiccup' for the administration. read more hite House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has described the public breakdown between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk as 'very troublesome' but ultimately just a 'little hiccup' for the administration. Speaking on the latest episode of Pod Force One, released on Wednesday (July 9), Susie Wiles acknowledged the high-profile fallout between the former allies. 'It was a great thing when it was a great thing' Wiles reflected on the value Musk brought to the administration in its early days, calling him 'fascinating' and praising his contributions during the presidential transition. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'He knew things we didn't know. He knew people and technologies that we didn't know,' Wiles said. 'It was a great thing when it was a great thing, and had a very, I think, a very troublesome ending.' 'The president was very generous to him, and Elon had a lot to contribute to us,' Wiles added. 'I don't understand it' — Wiles on the split When asked what caused the fallout, Wiles admitted she wasn't sure. 'I don't understand it. I don't know,' she said. 'I liked working with Elon. He's fascinating and sees the world differently. He's not like the average person—but unfortunately, things didn't end well.' Musk-Trump feud over 'One Big Beautiful Bill' The fallout began because Musk opposed Trump's key piece of legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. After Trump gave Musk a warm farewell at the White House in May, the SpaceX CEO quickly went public with criticism of Trump's bill. Musk called the bill a 'disgusting abomination' full of wasteful spending, and said it would worsen the federal deficit. Trump suggested Musk was upset because the bill cut green energy tax credits, but Musk denied this. Musk's America Party The clash grew when Musk launched a new political group called the America Party. Trump brushed it off as 'ridiculous,' calling Musk a 'train wreck.'
