‘Welcome to the Clown Show’: Elon Musk’s Defiant Response to Donald Trump’s Major AI Announcement Has Some Wondering If He’ll Be ‘Fired for Stunts Like This’

President Donald Trump’s announcement on Tuesday of a $500 billion investment into artificial intelligence infrastructure was quickly upended by a controversial administration official worth nearly that amount. The company OpenAI confirmed on Trump adviser Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, that it was investing the money over the next four years into the Stargate Project, with $100 billion being deployed immediately. “It’s big money and high-quality people,” Trump said during the announcement, calling it “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential.” Standing beside him: Musk’s nemesis, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Musk, worth a reported $426 billion, clearly took notice. In successive posts on X, the head of the president’s new Department of Government Efficiency openly challenged Trump’s assertion, writing that OpenAI, the maker of the AI chatbot ChatGPT, doesn’t “actually have the money.” “SoftBank has well under $10B secured,” Musk added. “I...