Sam Altman Says Elon Musk Is a 'Bully' Who Only Respects People Who Punch Him Back in the Nose

Sam Altman has branded Elon Musk a 'bully' who 'only respects people' who hit back, yet insisted he is still prepared to work with his former ally as the artificial intelligence industry wrestles with fresh safety concerns.

The OpenAI chief executive's remarks to Vanity Fair come after a high-profile falling-out between the pair that sits at the centre of ongoing legal disputes and coincides with efforts by the world's largest AI companies to agree how the technology should be controlled.

Sam Altman Defends Hitting Back

'I think once in a while you've got to punch a bully back in the nose,' Altman told the magazine. 'And I also think Elon, like many bullies, only respects people who do.'

The remarks linked his response to Musk's attacks with his willingness to cooperate. Altman argued that anyone hoping the pair could work together should accept some friction between them, presenting his occasional retaliation as part of managing that relationship.

'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,' he stated.

His description of Musk was a personal assessment, delivered as he explained why he sometimes responded to criticism. The interview contained both that rebuke and an explicit commitment to work with a man whose attacks have included a mocking version of Altman's name.

AI Safety and Sam Altman's Willingness To Cooperate

The possibility of collaboration sits within a broader industry effort to reach agreement about the technology's direction. That effort is unfolding amid renewed concerns about AI safety, bringing the question of cooperation between industry figures into the same discussion as their public disagreements.

Altman and Musk are former allies, and their falling-out has been recounted publicly as well as becoming the subject of legal battles. Their antagonism is also one of several tensions in the AI world as its largest companies pursue consensus.

Against that background, Altman's remarks expressed readiness to cooperate without suggesting that the personal dispute had been resolved. He did not outline a joint project, timetable or agreed course of action in the comments reported from the interview.

Nor did his commitment establish Musk's position on working together. The remarks set out what Altman was willing to do, leaving the practical arrangements for any collaboration unspecified.

Where Sam Altman Places Responsibility

Altman's defence of his behaviour included the qualification 'won't call myself a saint.' He nevertheless questioned whether he should be the principal target of criticism over the pair's exchanges, directing attention back towards Musk's role in their dispute.

'I'm not sure if I'm the one that you're supposed to come after between Elon and me,' he stated.

His response stopped short of claiming an unblemished role in the dispute. It instead questioned how responsibility for the antagonism should be apportioned between two people whose disagreements have continued in public.

Musk has referred to his former ally as 'Scam Altman'. In July, another account asserted that Musk had 'warned the world about Scam Altman.'

Musk's reply intensified that accusation. 'He takes scamming to a whole new level.' He attached the comment when quoting the other account's post. The reported exchange contains no supporting details for the scamming accusation, which remains Musk's characterisation of his former ally.