President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed criticism from Tesla CEO Elon Musk over a $500 billion artificial intelligence project announced earlier this week.
The initiative, a joint venture called Stargate, involves OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, and is projected to build data centers and create over 100,000 jobs across the United States.
Trump unveiled the ambitious project at the White House on Tuesday, joined by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison. However, Musk, a close ally of Trump and a rival of Altman, voiced skepticism about the venture’s financial viability.
In a post on X, Musk claimed the group lacked the necessary funding to back the project. “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk wrote. “SoftBank has well under $10 billion secured. I have that on good authority.”
When asked about Musk’s comments during a White House press briefing on Thursday, Trump appeared unfazed. “It doesn’t [bother me]. He hates one of the people in the deal,” Trump said, referring to Musk’s ongoing rivalry with Altman. “The people in the deal are very, very smart. But Elon—one of the people he happens to hate. I have certain hatreds of people, too.”
Addressing Musk’s claims of insufficient funding, Trump said, “I don’t know if they do [have the money], but they’re putting up the money. The government’s not putting up anything. They’re very rich people, so I hope they do.”
The exchange has sparked speculation about a potential fallout between Trump and Musk, who has been a key advisor to the president and is currently leading Trump’s government efficiency initiative.
A Trump adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern about the situation. “The end may be in sight,” the adviser said, hinting at a possible strain in their alliance.
Despite Musk’s criticism, the Stargate project represents a major step in Trump’s push to position the United States as a global leader in artificial intelligence. Whether the partnership can overcome internal disputes and secure the necessary funding remains to be seen.
