Scam Altman: Musk vs Altman in a Fight After the Apple-OpenAI Lawsuit. Heavy Insults Fly

Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, July 10, accusing Sam Altman's company of stealing trade secrets "at every level" of its organization. The news reignited a public clash that had been simmering for a while: the one between Altman and Elon Musk, who resumed their jabs on X with decidedly non-institutional tones.

The context comes from a week that was already heated on the language model front. xAI released its Grok 4.5, while OpenAI debuted with GPT-5.6 Sol: for days both founders puffed out their chests over their respective launches, before the situation veered into personal territory on Saturday.

Scam Altman strikes again
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
July 11, 2026
Musk opened hostilities by commenting on the news of Apple's lawsuit with a curt "Scam Altman strikes again," later reiterating that his rival "brings scamming to a level never seen before." He then posted a photo of Altman with the caption "I do it because I love him," adding: "By 'this' he means to scam," accompanied by emojis laughing to the point of rolling on the ground. Not satisfied, he piled on: "He might literally love scamming more than any other living human being."

Altman Turns the Attack on Musk's Space Data Centers
Altman's response was swift and struck a nerve with Musk: "Buddy, you're the one selling public market investors on short-term space data centers," he wrote in a post that surpassed 11 million views. Musk responded in kind: "Let's start making them fly next year. Perhaps you can come see them if your custodian agent allows it," referencing the Musk vs Altman lawsuit concluded in court in Oakland last May.

homeboy you're the one selling public market investors on short-term space data centers
https://t.co/wTYSA4q3Qx
— Sam Altman (@sama)
July 11, 2026
Altman then linked the attention he received to the success of OpenAI's new model: "There are many benchmarks indicating that 5.6 Sol is the best model in the world right now, but the most reliable way to know is that Elon is obsessed with me again," he wrote, indirectly claiming the technical quality of GPT-5.6 Sol.

On the front of the Apple lawsuit, however, the OpenAI CEO chose a more measured tone: "I am not afraid of Apple, but I have immense respect for them. A top-tier company," he wrote in another post. The remark drew a sarcastic response from X's product head: "Incredible industrial secrets, among the best." Musk simply replied with a laughing emoji to tears, closing (for now) yet another round of a duel that has been ongoing for years.