Elon Musk “way” overstepped his bounds when he criticized a $500 billion artificial intelligence project championed by President Donald Trump, according to a White House aide, reportedly ‘furious’ with tech mogul as allies mourn that he “abused his proximity to the President”.
“The problem is the president has no influence over him and Elon gives zero F -K,” a Trump ally told news site Politico on Thursday.
Musk angered Trump aides when he spoke in response to the president’s participation on Tuesday of Stargate — a $500 billion AI infrastructure project that includes Openai, Softbank, Oracle and MGX.
Musk’s comments fueled speculation within Republican circles that Trump and the Tesla chief, who has amassed so much influence in the administration that he is given his own office in the West Wing of the White House, will eventually part ways, Politico reported.
The post has sought comment from Musk and the White House.
Musk’s criticism, which was conspicuously absent from Tuesday’s Stargate attendance, angered a prominent Trump ally, Steve Bannon.
Bannon, the former chief strategist for Trump, asked White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to immediately address the situation. He blasted Musk after “bringing in his personal vendetta.”
The Stargate project involves the construction of large-scale data centers and the generation of significant energy resources that its proponents say will lead to the creation of over 100,000 jobs.
Openai is led by CEO Sam Altman, a nemesis of Musk.
Altman appeared alongside Trump at an Oval Office news conference. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a close friend of Musk, and Softbank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son were also at the conference with Trump.
Trump on Tuesday called Stargate “an extraordinary statement of faith in America’s potential” under his new administration, with an initial private investment of $100 billion that could reach five times that amount.
But Musk, a close Trump adviser who helped bankroll his campaign and now leads a government cost-cutting initiative, questioned the value of the investments hours later.
“They don’t really have any money,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X. “SoftBank has secured under $10B. I have it on good authority.”
Altman responded Wednesday by saying Musk was “wrong, as you probably know” and inviting Musk to come visit the first site in Texas that is already under construction.
“(T)his is great for the country. I understand what’s great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope you’ll put (America) first ,” Altman wrote, using an American flag emoji to represent America.
Trump downplayed Musk’s skepticism about the $500 billion AI project — attributing it to personal animosity rather than a criticism of his sustainability.
Trump told reporters that Musk’s remarks stemmed from his dislike of Altman, noting that everyone involved in the deal is “very, very smart people” and comparing Musk’s sentiments to his own personal woes.
“No, he hates one of the people,” Trump said, in an apparent reference to Altman.
“I’ve talked to Elon, but — I’ve talked to everybody, actually. The people in the deal are very, very smart people — but Elon, one of the people he happens to hate. But I also have certain people hates “.
When asked about Musk’s criticism of the deal, Caroline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told Fox News that “the American people should take President Trump and CEOs at their word” and that “these investments are coming in our great country, And American jobs are coming along with them.”
Leavitt did not mention Musk by name.
Musk, the world’s richest man whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and X, last year launched his rival AI company Xai, which is building its own massive data center in Memphis, Tennessee.
Musk says he faces unfair competition from Openai and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the vast computing resources needed to build AI systems such as Chatgpt.
Musk and Altman, once co-founders of Openai, have become fierce rivals, with Musk frequently criticizing Altman’s leadership and the company’s shift toward corporate interests, particularly its partnership with Microsoft.
Their tensions escalated further when Musk filed a lawsuit against Openai and Altman, alleging they abandoned the organization’s original non-profit mission in favor of profit-driven motives, deepening the rift between the two tech leaders. A hearing is scheduled for February in a California federal court.
Earlier this week, The Post reported that Ellison’s support for the Stargate project could help grease the wheels for the impending merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.
The merger faces a host of hurdles as it looks to win US regulatory approval. Paramount affiliate CBS has joined the controversy stemming from a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Outrageous President Kamala Harris.
With post wire
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