U.S. President Donald Trump addressed criticism from Tesla CEO Elon Musk regarding a $500 billion artificial intelligence initiative announced at the White House. The project, named Stargate, involves a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle to build data centers and create over 100,000 U.S. jobs. Key figures, including SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, attended the launch.
Musk, a close Trump ally but a rival of Altman, expressed doubts on X about the funding, claiming SoftBank lacks the necessary capital. "SoftBank has well under $10B secured," Musk said.
Responding to reporters, Trump dismissed Musk’s criticism, attributing it to personal animosity. "He hates one of the people in the deal," Trump remarked, adding that the project involves "very smart people." Trump also addressed Musk's funding concerns, saying, "They’re putting up the money. The government’s not funding it. These are very rich people."
A Trump adviser suggested the dispute might strain the president’s relationship with Musk, who is leading a government efficiency initiative. "The end may be in sight," the adviser speculated.
Stargate represents a significant technological collaboration, but Musk’s doubts highlight potential hurdles for the ambitious AI project.