Sam Altman, the CEO of tech company OpenAI, brushed off tech billionaire Elon Musk’s influence in the upcoming Trump administration, according to a Wednesday report from The New York Times.
Altman pushed back in response to a notion about the possible utilization of a link with Trump by Musk for the targeting of OpenAI.
“I believe pretty strongly that Elon will do the right thing and that it would be profoundly un-American to use political power to the degree that Elon would hurt competitors and advantage his own businesses,” Altman said at The New York Times DealBook Summit, according to the Times.
Musk and OpenAI have had a rocky history, with the Tesla head and artificial intelligence company recently being involved in a months-long legal saga that has featured Musk suing OpenAI multiple times. The tech billionaire founded OpenAI alongside Altman and Greg Brockman.
Musk sued OpenAI, Altman and Brockman in August, alleging that they tricked him into backing their endeavor by making him believe that it would make safe and transparent artificial intelligence.
Musk heavily backed Trump’s bid for the presidency this year, coming on stage at multiple rallies and starting America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC, giving $118 million to the committee.
Trump pulled Musk and his son into a family photo on Election Night, saying “We have to get Elon with his boy.” He added that the tech billionaire’s son was “gorgeous” and “perfect.”
The Hill has reached out to X and the Trump transition team for comment.