Topline
President Donald Trump will be “incredible” for the U.S., OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said late Wednesday, adding he has “changed his perspective” on Trump after being an earlier critic of the president, who unveiled a $500 billion AI deal involving Altman’s firm earlier this week.
Though Altman said he likely wouldn’t agree with Trump on “everything,” the OpenAI CEO said he ... [+]
Key Facts
In a post on X, Altman wrote that watching Trump “more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him,” noting, “I’m not going to agree with him on everything, but I think he will be incredible for the country in many ways!”
Trump announced on Tuesday a “Stargate” AI infrastructure deal funded by OpenAI, Oracle, Japan-based SoftBank and Emirati-based MGX, which Trump said would help develop the technology in the U.S. and create more than 100,000 jobs.
Altman said he wished he had “done more of my own thinking” and “fell in the NPC trap,” echoing a phrase often used by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who appears to refer to his critics and media outlets as “non-playable characters” (NPCs) to imply their opinions are controlled by someone else.
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Crucial Quote
Altman wrote: “Watching [Trump] more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him (I wish I had done more of my own thinking and definitely fell in the NPC trap). I’m not going to agree with him on everything, but I think he will be incredible for the country in many ways!”
Key Background
Altman, who donated to a super PAC supporting President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020, has changed his tone on Trump in recent months. The OpenAI CEO applauded LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman in December 2021 for all he “did and spent to stop Trump from getting re-elected,” suggesting Trump would “still be in office without his efforts.” Altman—a contributor to campaigns for dozens of other Democrats over the last decade—told Fox News in December he would donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, saying he was “eager to support” Trump’s efforts to “lead our country into the age of AI.” His donation came under the scope of Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who claimed Altman and other companies used “massive contributions” to avoid regulatory scrutiny under Trump’s administration. Altman fired back, writing it was “funny” lawmakers had never questioned him over his earlier contributions to Democrats.
Tangent
The Stargate announcement revived a feud between Altman and Musk, who claimed the companies “don’t actually have the money” to fund the project. Musk claimed on X he has it on “good authority” that “SoftBank has well under [$10 billion] secured,” while Altman responded by saying Musk’s claim is “wrong, as you surely know.” Musk later escalated his criticism on Wednesday, calling the project “fake” and Altman a “swindler.” A person familiar with Stargate’s funding disputed Musk’s claim, telling Forbes the project has $100 billion in funding from the four firms and other co-investors.
