AI Titans in Conflict: Musk vs Altman

The Origin of the Feud

Elon Musk and Sam Altman, once collaborators in founding OpenAI, have grown increasingly antagonistic since Musk left the company in 2018. Musk founded xAI, developing the Grok chatbot to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The rivalry escalated in 2025 when Musk publicly claimed Apple’s App Store was blocking his AI products from reaching top ranks, unfairly benefiting OpenAI.

Accusations and Counterclaims

Musk accused Apple of "unequivocal antitrust violations" and threatened immediate legal action against the tech giant. Altman responded by alleging Musk manipulates the X platform's algorithms to promote his own posts and undermine competitors. The spat went viral on social media, with both sides trading insults and sharing screenshots to support their claims.

AI Chatbots Take Sides

In an unusual twist, their AI chatbots themselves seemed to contradict their creators. Grok sided with Altman, confirming allegations against Musk, while ChatGPT favored Musk in trustworthiness polls. Musk called Grok’s responses a "major problem" and pledged to fix the chatbot’s behavior quickly.

Broader Implications in AI Leadership

The public feud is emblematic of rising competition in AI technology between two dominant companies. Beyond personal disputes, the conflict raises questions about ethics in AI governance, the fairness of platform management, and how tech giants wield power in shaping digital marketplaces.