OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes his rival, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, won’t use his ties to President-elect Donald Trump to undermine rivals, calling such behavior “deeply as “un-American”.
While addressing The New York Times At the Dealbook conference, Altman addressed concerns about Musk’s new role as head of the Trump administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency and its impact on his own companies.
“I could be proven wrong, but I believe Alvin will do the right thing,” Altman said. “It would be deeply un-American to use political power to harm our competitors and benefit our businesses.”
Even if “there are many things not to like about him … it would go so deeply against the values that I believe he holds so dear that I should be so concerned about him.” Don’t worry.”
Musk, who is one of the co-founders of OpenAI and left the company in 2018, is currently suing OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming that they have deviated from the project’s original non-profit mission.
He has since launched xAI, which is reportedly valued at $50 billion, making it one of the world’s most valuable startups, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Altman said the court battle was “very sad” and that he once viewed the tech billionaire as “a mega-hero.”
Musk became a close ally of Trump during his campaign, spending more than $100 million to boost his presidential bid and join him at rallies.
Musk has been a frequent presence in the Trump transition and was reportedly on the line when Google CEO Sundar Pichai called to congratulate the president-elect on winning the election.
The tycoon’s businesses have deep ties to U.S. and foreign governments, and his new position has raised concerns about conflicts of interest.