OpenAI boss Sam Altman says Elon Musk is ‘insecure’ in withering dismissal

CEOs have been fighting for some time over the future of artificial intelligence

OpenAI boss Sam Altman says that Elon Musk is an “unhappy” person who is motivated by “insecurity” in withering comments.

The two chief executives have been feuding for some time over artificial intelligence and OpenAI, the company the pair founded to try and develop responsible AI solutions. In the time since its founding, the pair have been driven apart by disputes over whether OpenAI should be run for profit among other issues.

In recent days, that fight escalated after Elon Musk submitted an offer for nearly $100 billion to buy OpenAI. It is not clear whether Mr Musk meant the offer to be sincere or if it was intended simply to aggravate Mr Altman.

In response, Mr Altman joked that he would buy X, previously known as Twitter, from Mr Musk for $9.74 billion, a tenth of the price.

Since then the two have traded barbs online, with Mr Musk calling the OpenAI boss “Scam Altman”.

Now, Mr Altman has hit back with personal comments about Mr Musk, suggesting that the bid was based on “insecurity” and that he was “unhappy”. The offer was part of a series of tactics intended to slow down OpenAI so that his competitor - xAI - could catch up.

“I feel for the guy,” he told Bloomberg. “Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity.

“I don’t think he’s, like, a happy person,” he said.