In a world where money is no object, egos are the real currency—and the unveiling of Trump’s $500 billion Stargate AI project has set the stage for a galactic clash of the world’s tech titans. Think “Real Housewives,” but with more zeros and less wine-throwing.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump, flanked by Sam Altman (OpenAI), Larry Ellison (Oracle), and Masayoshi Son (SoftBank), announced the ambitious Stargate project. With $500 billion at stake, you’d think this would unite the tech elite. Instead, it’s devolved into a gladiatorial free-for-all, with Musk launching tweet grenades and Sam Altman trying to keep things civil—until he didn’t.
Elon Musk, the main character of his own social network, X, gave both barrels. When OpenAI claimed it was “immediately deploying $100 billion,” Musk quipped, “They don’t actually have the money,” before suggesting SoftBank might need a bake sale to scrape together their share.
Musk, whose fortune could buy a small planet, wasn’t done. He escalated with a subtle retweet of a crack pipe captioned: “Leaked image of the research tool OpenAI used to come up with their $500 billion number.”
Good cop Altman
On a more serious note, Musk’s barbs represent a startling departure from his usual bromance with Trump. It seems even his White House office hours couldn’t prevent this Twitter spat from igniting.
Sam Altman initially played the good cop, tweeting, “I genuinely respect your accomplishments and think you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time.”
But the gloves quickly came off when Altman jabbed back, “Want to visit the first site already under way? This is great for the country. I realize what’s great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role, I hope you’ll mostly put 🇺🇸 first.” This was less a tweet and more a passive-aggressive Fourth of July parade.
Nadella: Eye-Roller-In-Chief
Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO and the billionaire least likely to start a flame war, was asked about the drama during a CNBC interview. With a dry wit that could dry-clean a suit, he said, “All I know is, I’m good for my $80 billion. I’m going to spend $80 billion building out Azure.” Translation: “You kids have fun with your slapfight—I have work to do.”
Nadella’s calm, billionaire Zen might make him the Switzerland of this tech feud, but his subtle shade still drew cheers from the peanut gallery.
Ellison and Son: The Silent Partners
Meanwhile, Larry Ellison and Masayoshi Son, two of the principal backers of Stargate, remained unbothered. Perhaps they were too busy Googling “Is Elon Musk always like this?” or sipping champagne on yachts the size of Delaware.
This isn’t Musk and Altman’s first rodeo. The two co-founded OpenAI in 2015, but the bromance soured when Musk left and sued the company multiple times. Apparently, their legal battles make Hamlet look like a sitcom. Now, Stargate is just the latest arena for their rivalry.
While the tech titans bicker, Donald Trump has remained notably quiet. He spent Wednesday on Truth Social wishing Melania a happy anniversary. It’s unclear whether he’s intentionally stoking this billionaire battle royale or just enjoying the chaos.
The Verdict?
Stargate may promise AI-powered progress, but it’s already delivering peak entertainment. Between Musk’s unfiltered Twitter tirades, Altman’s passive-aggressive patriotism, and Nadella’s zen snark, this is the billionaire drama we didn’t know we needed.
As Stargate unfolds, one thing is clear: the future of AI might be uncertain, but the future of petty billionaire squabbles is very, very bright.
