frenemies đź’”

what’s up with the Musk vs. Altman feud?

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Amber Rhodes & Dillon Young
February 14, 2025 • Est. Reading Time: 8 minutes

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TL;DR

  • Why are so many people talking about Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman?

  • If your job disappeared tomorrow, what else would (could) you do?

  • A little opossum in Nebraska is all of us.

Let's talk shop 🔧

This is like Kendrick and Drake if both of them were Drake.

— Nash (@radiodeadair.com)2025-02-10T21:32:21.357Z

What’s behind the Musk-Altman feud?

Two of the biggest figures in tech are currently airing their dirty laundry in public – and dominating headlines in the process. But what is the back-and-forth really about? Here’s what you should know 👇

Background

You might not know this, but Elon Musk and Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015. Elon left the company in 2018 due to a potential conflict of interest from his work with Tesla.

Presumably, the two used to get along in those times. Now they’re trading barbs (and threats) on social, in the media, and through business dealings.

Why are the boys fighting?

OpenAI was founded as a non-profit artificial intelligence research organization. 

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Our goal is to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return. Since our research is free from financial obligations, we can better focus on a positive human impact.

In 2019, the org changed their structure to include a for-profit arm that they deemed a “capped profit” company. The reasoning? To “raise investment capital and attract employees with startup-like equity.” 

Musk (among others) has accused OpenAI of abandoning its original mission in pursuit of profits. 

But is that the only reason for the feud?

Nope! It goes deeper. 

  • In 2023, Musk launched a competitor to ChatGPT (OpenAI’s chatbot) called Grok as part of his own gen AI startup, xAI.

  • In 2024, Musk then sued OpenAI…twice…for betraying its original non-profit mission. In response, OpenAI released emails from Musk previously showing his support for going the for-profit route.

  • On January 21, 2025  President Trump announced a $500B joint venture, the Stargate Project, to build infrastructure/data centers for OpenAI in the US. To put it lightly, Musk did NOT like this news.

  • At this point, the two are openly trading barbs in public. For example, Musk calls Altman “Scam Altman” and a “swindler.” For his part, Altman clapped back:

  • Earlier this week, Musk put in a (unsolicited) bid to buy OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, but Altman says it’s not for sale.

What does this have to do with you?

Not much…for now. The way the feud is going, it doesn’t seem like there are any big changes on the horizon, just more public beef you’ll be forced to witness if you use the internet at all.

But behind the feud are a couple of big questions that would impact the tech industry:

  • Will OpenAI move away from its nonprofit structure? And what would that shift look like?

  • Who will be at the helm of OpenAI, one of most influential tech companies in the world?

  • What will come of the xAI vs. Open AI arms race?

In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted on what we learn 🫡

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🖥️ What else is happening in tech?

  • Meta’s CTO to employees who say they feel disrespected: “You should quit if you feel that way.” Surely that’ll help morale đź‘Ť

  • Popular SF startup, Carta, just settled two more lawsuits filed by women alleging sexual harassment and discrimination.

  • If “work hard, play hard” is a way of life for you, you’re in luck. This Japanese company is offering unusual perks to attract Gen Z workers in a competitive hiring environment.

Automate the grind with SundaySky. From onboarding to QBRs, SundaySky delivers personalized, engaging videos that drive customer engagement and retention—without the extra work. Think of it as your CS team’s secret weapon.

Okta, ZoomInfo, and Totango already use it. Shouldn’t you?

Visit sundaysky.com/cs for more details.

CSMs: New identity crisis unlocked

What’s your SaaS spirit animal?

Customer success vanishes tomorrow - what department do you move to?

Learn more →

Let’s dish 🤭

if I send you this i’m about to start the message with “per my last email”

We’ve all been there, buddy.

A possum in Nebraska just did something we’ve all thought about doing:

Ate an entire Costco chocolate cake in one sitting. 

And you know what? Heck yeah, little guy. 

Who among us hasn’t been in this exact same situation? 

Here’s to a weekend full of rest, relaxation, and chocolate cake!

đź«– What's the tea?

  • Christie’s, a popular auction house, will hold its first auction featuring only AI-created works. 

  • Apple and Google are preventing new downloads of TikTok. Here’s how people are getting TikTok back on their phones anyway.

  • Ceci n'est pas une sign. This New England pastry shop is in a legal battle with the local zoning board over First Amendment rights and the case is headed to trial.

See you next week! đź‘‹

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