Tech billionaire Elon Musk found himself at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump over a groundbreaking half-a-trillion-dollar artificial intelligence (AI) initiative called Stargate. The rift between the two high-profile figures highlighted potential disagreements within Trump’s administration on crucial policy matters.
In a surprising turn of events, Musk, who had been a key adviser to Trump during his transition to the presidency, criticized the ambitious plan unveiled by the Republican leader. The project aimed to attract investments totaling about $500 billion from major tech players like OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, among others, for constructing cutting-edge data centers across the United States within four years.
Trump hailed Stargate as “the largest AI infrastructure project in history,” emphasizing its significance as a vote of confidence in America’s capabilities at the outset of his tenure. However, Musk was quick to cast doubt on the feasibility of this grand endeavor following an announcement by OpenAI regarding an initial funding commitment of $100 billion.
Elon Musk’s Skepticism:
“They don’t actually have the money,” quipped Musk
Expressing skepticism towards OpenAI’s financial capacity to deliver on its promises, Musk took to his platform X to point out that SoftBank had secured significantly less than what was being publicized for the project. This critical stance adopted by Musk underscored underlying tensions between him and Sam Altman, his former collaborator at OpenAI.
Friction in Partnerships:
Musk has dubbed Altman as “Swindly Sam” while Altman labeled Musk as a “bully”
The discord between Musk and Altman hinted at deeper-rooted disagreements within their professional relationship that dated back to their shared involvement in creating ChatGPT through OpenAI. Despite their past collaboration, diverging opinions and personal animosities seemed to have strained their interactions over time.
Meanwhile, construction work for one of Stargate’s data centers had already commenced in Texas under Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison’s supervision. During the launch event held at the White House attended by key industry figures including Altman and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son alongside President Trump, praises were showered on Trump for his role in bringing this monumental AI initiative to fruition.
Praise for President Trump:
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without you,” acknowledged Altman during a press conference
The clash between supporters of Stargate and skeptics like Elon Musk brought into focus differing perspectives on how best to advance AI infrastructure development in the country. As debates around funding sources and operational capacities continued unabated, it remained unclear how this confrontation would shape future collaborations within the technology sector amid evolving political landscapes.
Leave feedback about this