LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman dismissed claims of a mutual feud with Elon Musk, stating that any animosity between the tech moguls is entirely from Musk's side, stemming from OpenAI's success following Musk's departure. "Well, so actually, it's more his beef with me for having made OpenAI successful with his departure," Hoffman said during a BBC Radio 4 interview on Thursday. "Because he left saying, you know, 'You're all a bunch of jackasses and you'll fail,' and I helped them succeed."
The tension between the former OpenAI backers escalated publicly over the weekend when Musk accused Hoffman of funding Tesla protests through ActBlue-affiliated groups. "An investigation has found 5 ActBlue-funded groups responsible for Tesla 'protests,'" Musk posted on X, listing Hoffman alongside other prominent donors like George Soros.
"Americans are angry with Elon Musk"
Hoffman categorically denied these allegations. "Just one more of Elon's false claims about me: I never funded anyone for Tesla protests," he responded on X. "I don't condone violence. But it's clear Americans are angry at him—it's easier to explain away their anger than to accept that actions have consequences."
The exchange grew more contentious when Musk enigmatically asked Hoffman to "Describe your favorite island vacation," to which Hoffman replied with a graph showing Tesla's declining stock price, quipping, "I don't know about islands but here's your least favorite mountain."
Hoffman suggested that Musk struggles with collaboration, stating AI development should be led by those willing to "consult with and deal with other people" — adding that "That's not how Elon operates, which anyone who has two eyes can see."
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