Tech titans argue over $500 billion investment in AI announced by Trump | Elon Musk

Big tech moguls clashed Wednesday, hissing at their rivals over the huge AI investment promises announced the day before by Donald Trump.

Trump on Tuesday announced Stargate, a $500 billion project that will be jointly funded by OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank. During the announcement, the president was surrounded by the leaders of these companies: Sam Altman, Larry Ellison and Masayoshi Son respectively. His should be the president of the project. All three are multi-billionaires. A representative from MGX, Abu Dhabi’s national AI fund, another lead investor, was absent from the photoshoot.

The partnership aims to build data centers and IT infrastructure essential to the development of artificial intelligence. Even though the overall investment is substantial, some estimates already indicated that developing AI would also be expensive.

Another notable absence was Elon Musk – the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and xAI; the richest person in the world; and a Trump ally – who reportedly has an office in the White House. The evening after the announcement, he declared that Stargate was a financial farce.

When OpenAI wrote on “SoftBank got way less than $10 billion. I have it on good authority.

Musk, who has a net worth of around $430 billion, tweets extremely often every day on a tantalizing array of topics: he usually promotes his own companies and Trump. Even with his propensity to post, his Stargate tweets represent an extraordinary break with the White House, where he is one of Trump’s closest and most senior advisers.

Trump has yet to respond to Musk’s attacks. On Truth Social, the president’s social network, he made a point of wishing his wife, Melania, a happy birthday.

Musk went further. He retweeted the image of a crack pipe with the accompanying tweet: “Leaked image of the research tool OpenAI used to arrive at its $500 billion figure for Stargate.” » He spent much of Wednesday afternoon shooting Stargate.

Altman tried to strike a conciliatory tone with his first response: “I sincerely respect your accomplishments and believe you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time.” »

Then at least one glove came off when Altman sarcastically wrote of Musk’s remark to Softbank: “False, as I’m sure you know. want to come and visit the first construction site already in progress? It’s great for the country. I realize that what’s great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your businesses, but in your new role, I hope you prioritize 🇺🇸.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a A less pugnacious public figure than Altman, and certainly than Musk, was asked about this dispute during an interview on CNBC. He joked: “All I know is I’m good for my $80 billion.” I’m going to spend $80 billion to develop Azure,” referring to Microsoft’s cloud computing product.

ignore past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Unlike Musk and Altman, Nadella did not sit on a dais alongside Trump at the president’s inauguration on Monday, although her company donated $1 million to the inaugural committee. Nadella’s net worth is estimated at over $1 billion due to stock awards from her employer and her recent stellar performance.

The animosity stems in part from a long-running feud between Musk and Altman. Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015, but later parted ways with the young man. In March 2024, Musk sued the company over its plan to transition to a for-profit business model, then withdrew his suit in July, then filed suit again in August, alleging “deception to Shakespearean proportions.

The two other business leaders involved in Stargate, Ellison and Son, have not yet commented.