The long‑running conflict between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX boss Elon Musk has escalated after OpenAI decided to stop supplying AI models to Cursor, a programming tool recently acquired by Musk’s SpaceX. OpenAI justified this move by stating that it had no confidence in SpaceX’s ability to comply with the service agreements, referring to a history of contract breaches at other Musk‑led companies. The company further noted that X, the social media platform owned by Musk, had previously violated its terms of service.
The rift between the two figures has been public and turbulent for years, and recently reached a climax during a legal battle. Musk had previously accused OpenAI of abandoning its original charitable goals in favour of profit, although a federal jury dismissed his lawsuit on the grounds that it had been filed too late. During these legal proceedings, Musk’s representatives labelled Altman dishonest, while OpenAI countered that Musk was simply trying to seize control of the organisation.
In response to the news, Musk appeared indifferent and repeated his belief that Altman and OpenAI chair Greg Brockman had exploited an open‑source non‑profit organisation. Despite this hostility, Michael Truell, co‑founder of Cursor and an executive at SpaceX, indicated that talks are under way with OpenAI to resolve the issue.
While OpenAI has set 12 November 2026 as the termination date, based on a ‘“’change of control’”’ clause, competitors are stepping in. Anthropic, which maintains a relationship with SpaceX, announced that it would expand its computing power to better support its Claude models within the Cursor platform.
Business AM
