Even in the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley, the “frenemy” dynamic between Sam Altman and Elon Musk remains the most watched soap opera in tech. During a recent talk at the Express Adda in New Delhi on February 20, 2026, Altman offered a rare olive branch, or at least a very specific one, when asked about his former co-founder.

From first co-founding Open AI together in 2015, both Elon Musk and Sam Altman have come together a long way in the world of technology. Presently both of them run some of the most important tech organisations in the world that also happen to be engaged in an intense legal tussle.

Altman shared that despite their legal battles, he still admires Musk’s operational grit, stating that Musk “is extremely good at physical engineering and getting people to perform incredibly well at their jobs.”

Latest update: Legal battle between Musk and Altman

As of February 2026, the legal conflict between Elon Musk and OpenAI (led by Sam Altman) has escalated into a massive multi-front battle involving federal lawsuits, antitrust allegations, and a hostile takeover attempt. 

Musk is suing OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Greg Brockman, alleging they betrayed the “founding agreement” to keep AI open-source and non-profit.

The lawsuit now includes Microsoft as a defendant, with Musk alleging a “de facto merger” that created an anti-competitive monopoly.  A U.S. federal judge has cleared the case for a jury trial scheduled for April 27, 2026. 

Musk is seeking damages estimated between $79 billion and $134 billion. While Altman’s latest response has caught the internet by storm with many people floating ‘frenemies’ based memes online, it’s kind of hard to forget their ‘billionaire rivals’ era.

Backdrop: The billion dollar tech grudge 

While Altman’s recent remarks lean toward professional respect, the last year has been anything but civil. The rivalry reached a fever pitch in February 2025, following what can only be described as the most expensive “troll” in corporate history.

Frustrated by OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit model, Musk led a consortium (including xAI and Ari Emanuel) to launch a $97.4 billion hostile takeover bid for the nonprofit entity that controls OpenAI. Musk claimed he wanted to “save” the company and return it to its open-source roots.

In a sharply adjusted retort, Altman didn’t just reject the offer; he mocked it. He famously posted on X: “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” The move was a direct jab at the $44 billion Musk paid for the platform and its subsequent perceived decline in value. Musk’s one-word response? “Swindler.”

A history of ‘bad blood’

The friction between two of the most famous tech founders of their generation dates back to 2018, when Musk (then a primary benefactor of OpenAI attempted to take control of the organisation), arguing it was falling behind Google and failing to adhere to its ‘open source, non profits route.’

When Altman and the board refused, Musk walked away, eventually cutting off his planned $1 billion funding.The relationship further soured as OpenAI found massive success with ChatGPT and Microsoft’s $13 billion partnership. Musk has since filed multiple lawsuits against Altman and OpenAI, alleging a “betrayal of the founding mission.” 

Where they stand today

Despite the lawsuits and frequent passive aggressive posts from the tech leaders, OpenAI CEO’s Delhi revealed a new shade of their famed rivalry, that is of distanced respect. Speaking at the Express adda, Altman acknowledged the “stressful” nature of the AGI race but maintained that Musk’s ability to push teams to the limit is a standard he still respects.