At his OpenAI trial, Musk relitigates an old friendship
It's a story Musk has told before -- in interviews and to author Walter Isaacson for his bestselling biography of Musk -- but Tuesday was the first time he said it under oath.
Among the most interesting parts of Elon Musk’s testimony Tuesday in his lawsuit against OpenAI wasn’t the charity he claims was stolen from him (we all knew that was coming ). It was about an old friend.
Musk testified that one of his core motivations for co-founding OpenAI was a falling-out with Google’s Larry Page over AI safety — specifically, a conversation in which Musk raised the prospect of AI wiping out humanity and Page shrugged it off as “fine,” so long as AI itself survived. Page called Musk a “speciest” for being “pro human.” Musk called the attitude “insane.”
That’s mostly notable given how close the two once were. Fortune included them on its 2016 list of secretly best-friend business leaders; Musk was so comfortable with Page that he regularly crashed at his Palo Alto home. Page once told Charlie Rose that he’d rather give his money to Musk than to charity.
The friendship didn’t survive OpenAI. When Musk recruited Google AI star Ilya Sutskever to help launch the company in 2015, Page felt personally betrayed and cut off contact.
It’s a story Musk has told before — including to author Walter Isaacson for his bestselling biography of Musk — but Tuesday was the first time he said it under oath. Page hasn’t commented, and it’s worth remembering everything that Musk said was in service of a lawsuit. Still, as recently as 2023 he told tech podcaster Lex Fridman he wanted to patch things up: “We were friends for a very long time.”
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Key takeaways
- The dispute between Musk and Page illustrates a central ethical dilemma in AI: safety versus progress.
- The breakup between Musk and Page highlights the importance of strategic partnerships in the tech sector.
- Musk's statement about reconciliation suggests that rivalries in the sector can be temporary.
Editorial analysis
Elon Musk's testimony in the lawsuit against OpenAI not only revives an old friendship but also highlights the underlying tensions in the development of artificial intelligence. The dispute between Musk and Larry Page illustrates a central ethical dilemma in AI: safety versus progress. For the Brazilian tech sector, this narrative serves as a warning about the need for open and transparent dialogue regarding the implications of AI, especially at a time when Brazil is seeking to position itself as a hub for technological innovation.
Moreover, the story of Musk and Page exemplifies how personal relationships can influence business decisions and technological innovations. Their breakup not only affected their personal trajectories but also had repercussions on how companies approach AI. Brazil, with its growing startup ecosystem, should observe how these dynamics unfold and consider the importance of strategic partnerships that foster a collaborative rather than competitive environment.
Finally, Musk's statement that he would like to reconcile with Page, even after years of disagreements, suggests that rivalries in the tech sector can be temporary. This raises the question of how tech leaders in Brazil can learn from these examples, seeking to build bridges rather than walls. The future of AI in Brazil could be more promising if there is a collective effort to address ethical and safety concerns, avoiding the polarization seen elsewhere.
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