OpenAI CEO Altman Says He'd Work With Musk on AI Safety, Calls Him a "Bully"

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is willing to cooperate with Elon Musk on AI safety despite their long-running feud, but added that working together requires accepting conflict because "sometimes you have to punch a bully in the face." "I think Musk, like many bullies, only respects people who fight back," Altman said in an interview. He said he does not consider himself "the biggest problem" in the relationship, adding: "Between Musk and me, I'm not sure I'm the one you should be targeting." Musk has repeatedly called Altman "Scam Altman," most recently in July 2026, when he reposted a user's claim and accused Altman of "taking scamming to a new level." Altman countered by questioning Musk's plan to build orbital data centers. The dispute persists even as AI firms deepen cooperation. In July 2026, executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceXAI, Google and Nvidia signed a White House-backed agreement including voluntary AI safety commitments. Altman said industry leaders coordinate through calls, meetings and informal encounters rather than a single group chat.