OpenAI chief Sam Altman has expressed a change in his perspective on Donald Trump, stating that he wishes he had done more of his own thinking and avoided falling into the “NPC” trap during Trump’s previous term.
OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman has publicly shared his change of heart regarding President Donald Trump. In a recent post on X, Altman stated, “Watching @potus more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him. I wish I had done more of my own thinking and definitely fell in the npc [non-playable character] trap. I’m not going to agree with him on everything, but I think he will be incredible for the country in many ways!”
This revelation comes amidst an ongoing online spat between Altman and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, one of Altman’s most strident critics and a competitor in the AI space. The debate was sparked by the announcement of the $500 billion Stargate Project, a joint venture between OpenAI and SoftBank aimed at developing U.S. AI infrastructure. Musk questioned the project’s funding, claiming that SoftBank had “well under $10B secured,” despite OpenAI’s assertion that the venture would invest an initial $100 billion of private capital, with an additional $400 billion expected over the next four years.
Altman swiftly responded to Musk’s comments, stating that the Tesla CEO was “wrong” and emphasizing the importance of the project for the country. He also urged Musk to prioritize the U.S. in his new role, even if it may not always align with his companies’ optimal interests. The exchange escalated further, with Altman questioning Musk’s character and treatment of OpenAI, while Musk resurfaced old anti-Trump tweets and criticized Altman’s connections to Democrat donor Reid Hoffman. This prompted Altman to publicly state his change of heart about Trump.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also entered the fray, confirming his company’s $80 billion contribution to the Stargate Project and emphasizing the project’s focus on building useful AI applications for the real world.
The public spat between Altman and Musk is not a new occurrence, as the two have a history dating back to OpenAI’s early days. Musk, along with Altman and nine others, co-founded the AI lab but Musk stepped down from the board of directors in early 2018 after an unsuccessful attempt to merge OpenAI with Tesla. Since then, Musk has been critical of OpenAI’s corporate structure, accusing the company in a lawsuit of abandoning its non-profit roots in favor of a multi-billion dollar partnership with Microsoft.
Altman’s change of perspective on Trump is significant, given his previous stance and the ongoing debate surrounding the role of AI in shaping the future of the United States. As the Stargate Project moves forward and the Trump administration continues to make its mark, it remains to be seen how the relationship between key players in the tech industry and the government will evolve.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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