Sam Altman reaches out to Elon Musk after old Tweets resurface: “let’s be friends”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has extended a peace offering to Tesla chief Elon Musk, signaling a desire to work together despite their long-standing feud. Altman said their shared goal of advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI) is far more important than any personal disagreements.

The olive branch came after Musk resurfaced old social media posts in which Altman had criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump. Musk highlighted a post from Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham, who once praised Altman’s efforts to defeat Trump. “Few have done more than Sam Altman to defeat Trump,” Graham had written.

Altman responded simply: “Thank you, Paul.”

Musk then reshared that interaction, prompting Altman to post an old article where Musk himself had once said about Trump: “I don't hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.”

Altman replied, “We were both wrong, or at least I certainly was, but that was from 2016 and this was from 2022.”

Brushing aside the political past, Altman concluded: “Anyway, see you next week, let’s be friends. AGI is too important to let a little feud get in the way.”

From Partners to Rivals

Musk and Altman, both co-founders of OpenAI in 2015, have had differing views on the company’s direction. Musk has criticized OpenAI’s shift from a non-profit model to a for-profit structure under Altman’s leadership. Earlier this week, OpenAI announced that its non-profit board would maintain control over the company despite its commercial operations.

Meanwhile, Musk has taken an active role in U.S. politics, campaigning for Trump’s reelection and heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Altman, on the other hand, has invested in Project Stargate, a $500 billion initiative aimed at building AI infrastructure in the U.S.

What Is AGI?

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to AI that can perform any intellectual task a human can do. Unlike today’s AI, which is designed for specific tasks, AGI would have the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of fields, similar to human intelligence.

As both Altman and Musk continue shaping the future of AI, it seems they may be ready to set aside personal differences—for the greater goal of advancing AGI.