The fierce competition between two of tech's most prominent figures, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Tesla's Elon Musk, is poised to leap from artificial intelligence and social media into the final frontier: space. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Altman is actively exploring the possibility of investing billions of dollars into space ventures. This strategic move includes seeking potential partnerships or even acquisitions of rocket companies, setting the stage for a direct challenge to Musk's SpaceX empire.
From AI to Aerospace: Altman's Cosmic Ambitions
Sam Altman's interest in the aerospace sector is not merely speculative. The Wall Street Journal report reveals that he has entered into serious discussions with Stoke Space, a promising startup founded in 2020 by former engineers from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The proposals on the table involved OpenAI making significant equity investments with the ultimate goal of acquiring a controlling stake in the company.
Although these talks have reportedly stalled for now, they highlight a clear and determined shift in Altman's focus. His connection to Stoke Space isn't new; it dates back to his time at the famed startup accelerator Y Combinator, which was an early investor. Furthermore, Altman has publicly shared his thoughts about founding a rocket company on various podcasts, signaling a long-held fascination with space exploration.
Neuralink Gets a New Rival: Enter Merge Labs
The space arena is just the latest battlefield in the ongoing Altman-Musk rivalry. Earlier, in August, it emerged that Sam Altman is co-founding a brain-computer interface startup named Merge Labs. This venture places him in direct competition with Elon Musk's neurotechnology company, Neuralink. Both companies are racing to achieve the monumental goal of merging human cognition with artificial intelligence.
As reported by the Financial Times, Merge Labs is in the process of raising a substantial $850 million. A significant portion of this funding, approximately $250 million, is expected to come from OpenAI's own venture fund. While Altman will be a co-founder, he is not anticipated to be involved in the day-to-day operations. The startup is also reportedly collaborating with Alex Blania, the CEO of Tools for Humanity, which is another of Altman's ventures focused on biometric digital identity.
A Rivalry Rooted in OpenAI's History
If Sam Altman fully commits to space exploration, it would open yet another intense front in his multifaceted competition with Elon Musk. The roots of their rivalry trace back to OpenAI itself, which Musk co-founded. He left the organization in 2018 after an unsuccessful attempt to merge it with Tesla. Musk later tried to purchase OpenAI but was rebuffed, leading to a public and legal fallout.
Since then, Musk has launched his own AI company, xAI, filed lawsuits against OpenAI alleging a departure from its original mission, and remains one of Altman's most vocal critics. Altman, in turn, has not shied away from launching ventures that compete with Musk's core interests, from Neuralink to developing social media platforms intended to rival Musk's X (formerly Twitter). The potential entry into aerospace signifies an escalation, taking their competition literally to a galactic scale.
The tech world now watches closely as these two visionaries, once collaborators, carve out competing paths for the future of technology both on Earth and beyond.
