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Sam Altman called Elon Musk “a bully” in a Vanity Fair interview, but said he would work with him “of course.” Altman was discussing his public criticism of Musk and the tension between personal conflict and cooperation across the AI industry. His answer expressed willingness to work together; it did not announce a partnership or project.

What did Sam Altman say about Elon Musk?

Asked about his criticism of Musk and the AI industry’s calls to cooperate, Altman said he was not a saint and questioned whether he was the person who should be singled out in their relationship. He then described Musk as a bully and defended pushing back:

“Look, I don’t like bullies, and I think Elon’s a bully. And so I think once in a while you got to punch a bully back in the nose. And I also think Elon, like many bullies, only respects people who do. So if you want me to be able to work with him, maybe you should be happy I hit back once in a while, but I will work with Elon, of course.”

The exchange appears in Vanity Fair’s interview with Altman, conducted by Mark Aduchi. A timestamped transcript also records the exchange.

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Why did Altman say he would work with Musk?

Altman linked his willingness to work with Musk to a broader argument: AI companies and their leaders may need to make decisions collectively, even when they have personal disagreements. He also called for government involvement in decisions about AI, according to TheWrap’s contemporaneous account.

That is the context for the apparent contradiction the interviewer raised: Altman’s public barbs toward Musk alongside calls for cooperation in AI. Altman did not claim that criticism and collaboration are mutually exclusive; he argued that pushing back in the relationship did not rule out working together.

Does this mean Altman and Musk are working on a project together?

No specific joint project, agreement, or negotiation was announced in the interview. Altman said he would work with Musk, but did not define what that would involve or say that either man had agreed to a particular collaboration. The statement is about willingness, not a confirmed plan.

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What is the history between Altman and Musk at OpenAI?

Musk co-founded OpenAI and served as its co-chair alongside Altman. He left the organization’s board in 2018, according to TheWrap’s background on the interview. That history helps explain why questions about their relationship arise in discussions of cooperation across the AI sector, but it does not establish that they have reconciled.

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