Elon Musk speaks at President Trump’s victory rally at the Capital One Arena on Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Hours after President Trump announced a major artificial intelligence investment, it faced skepticism from one of his closest allies: DOGE head Elon Musk.
Why it matters: Musk publicly undermining the $500 billion project, led by OpenAI and other tech titans, could draw Trump’s ire.
- Trump tasked Musk with slashing federal spending with the new Department of Government Efficiency.
- The pair’s budding relationship has grown more entwined since Trump won back the White House, but this is one of their most public disagreements to date.
What he’s saying: “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk said on X late Tuesday night in response to OpenAI’s announcement of the project.
- A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment on Musk’s post.
Catch up quick: “The Stargate Project,” a joint venture funded by SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle and MGX intends to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure in the U.S.
- The project will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, the company said. Trump called it a “monumental undertaking.”
- Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle and OpenAI are the initial technology partners.
Driving the news: Musk said he had it on “good authority” that SoftBank secured “well under” $10 billion.
- “I genuinely respect your accomplishments and think you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to Musk.
Between the lines: Musk and Altman have had a fraught relationship after a falling-out over the direction of OpenAI, which both men co-founded, and Musk is deep in the latest of several lawsuits he has brought against OpenAI.
Go deeper: Trump announces billions in private sector AI investment
