Altman Calls Musk a Bully but Says He Will Keep Working With Him

Sam Altman called Elon Musk a bully and, in the same conversation, said he is still willing to work with him. The remark came in an interview with Vanity Fair, which the magazine published on October 5 together with its revived New Establishment list. The publication ranked the OpenAI chief first. Vanity Fair's global editorial director, Mark Guducci, recorded the conversation in San Francisco.

What we know about the interview

The available excerpt of the piece is short and cuts off while describing the conversation itself. It supports three facts: Altman gave Musk a harsh characterization, did not close the door on working together, and topped the ranking. The source material does not say what form a collaboration might take, which projects it would involve, or what exactly Altman means by the word bully. This story is best read as a statement of position, not as the announcement of a deal.

The phrasing itself is telling. Altman does not call his opponent a friend, and he does not declare war. He diagnoses a character trait and separates it from business logic.

Why the wording matters

The relationship between Altman and Musk has long been part of the industry's history. Musk was among OpenAI's founders in 2015, left the board in 2018, launched the rival xAI in 2023, and in 2024 sued OpenAI and Altman. In February 2025, a group of investors led by Musk offered 97.4 billion dollars for the assets of OpenAI's nonprofit structure. The board rejected the offer.

Against that backdrop, "a bully, but I'll work with him" reads as pragmatic. Both companies buy accelerators from the same suppliers, compete for the same engineers, and sit at the same table with regulators. That is our interpretation, not Altman's words, but the market logic is this: when a competitor is too big to ignore, public hostility becomes an expensive luxury. For a company that raises capital and builds data centers, the image of someone open to negotiation is more useful than the image of a party to an endless lawsuit.

The ranking as a frame

Vanity Fair's revived New Establishment list has historically gathered the people who set the agenda in business, technology, and media. That the head of an AI company tops it in 2026 shows where the center of influence has shifted. The interview ran alongside the ranking, so Altman's remarks double as a profile of the winner. Candor in this format is usually measured out, and a sharp word about Musk may well be part of a carefully calibrated image.

The facts in brief

• Interview publication date: October 5, 2026.
• Publication: Vanity Fair, New Establishment feature, list revived.
• Altman's position on the list: first place.
• Interviewer: Mark Guducci, recorded in San Francisco.
• Key quote: Musk is a bully, but Altman is willing to work with him.
• Context: OpenAI was founded in 2015, Musk left the board in 2018, and the 97.4 billion dollar offer was rejected in February 2025.

What to watch next

First: the full text of the interview. Only a teaser is available so far, and the context of the questions determines how literally to take the willingness to cooperate. Second: court filings in Musk's lawsuit. If Altman's softer tone coincides with actual talks between the parties, it will show in how the case moves, not in an interview. Third: statements from xAI and Musk himself. Until there is a response, any conclusion about reconciliation is premature.

If you build a product on top of the API of one of these companies, the takeaway is simple. Executives' public remarks are no substitute for contractual guarantees. Keep your architecture compatible with multiple providers, and plan for neither a truce nor an escalation.