If Elon Musk and Sam Altman harbor any mutual fondness or professional affection, they conceal it with remarkable skill and deliberate composure. The rivalry between these two visionary entrepreneurs has evolved into a high-stakes contest for dominance, one that now centers on securing the coveted position at the top of the global ranking for the most valuable privately held companies. What began as a shared dream has gradually turned into a sharp competition for technological and financial supremacy.
Their partnership, once marked by collaboration and mutual ambition, dates back to 2015, when Musk and Altman jointly founded OpenAI with the intention of advancing artificial intelligence in a manner that would benefit humanity as a whole. However, this alliance has since deteriorated dramatically, transforming from camaraderie into open conflict. The bond that initially united them in a mission to ensure ethical AI innovation ultimately unraveled under the weight of diverging visions, business interests, and competing ideals.
Musk parted ways with OpenAI in 2018, citing various disagreements, and soon thereafter established his own AI-focused venture, xAI—a company intended to rival his former project. The separation did not end quietly; instead, it ignited a public and legal battle. Musk, either personally or through xAI, has taken legal action against OpenAI, further entrenching their antagonism and transforming what could have been professional divergence into a very public feud.
The conflict has recently intensified with significant financial developments. In October, OpenAI completed a secondary share sale that elevated its valuation to an astonishing $500 billion, surpassing Musk’s aerospace giant, SpaceX, by roughly $100 billion. The achievement represented more than a monetary milestone—it symbolized OpenAI’s arrival as a dominant player in the global innovation economy. Yet if history is any indication, Musk rarely accepts defeat, particularly from a former ally turned competitor.
According to internal correspondence shared with several media outlets, Musk is already preparing a countermove. SpaceX intends to conduct its own secondary share sale, one that could value the company at an extraordinary $800 billion. Should this transaction proceed as planned, SpaceX would dramatically reclaim the title of the world’s most valuable private company, forcing OpenAI’s brief reign to an abrupt conclusion—one lasting merely a few months. Characteristically, Musk’s response underscores both his relentless drive and his unwillingness to yield to any competitor, no matter how formidable.
Adding to the intrigue, Musk has publicly confirmed on X (formerly known as Twitter) that SpaceX is actively exploring the possibility of a large-scale initial public offering—a landmark financial event that could further amplify the company’s market influence and give investors unprecedented access to its growing empire. For OpenAI, such a move represents both a challenge and an inspiration: earlier this year, the company restructured its business framework, paving the way for its own potential—and comparably massive—IPO in the future. Both companies, though pursuing different horizons, appear locked in a race to leverage market confidence and investor enthusiasm as the next phase of their rivalry.
While for ordinary observers this valuation duel may appear excessive, even bordering on theatrical, it nevertheless reflects a profound shift in the priorities of global investment. Capital is now flooding into sectors that were once dismissed as speculative or far-fetched. The contest between SpaceX and OpenAI is more than a clash of egos; it is emblematic of a broader transformation in how investors perceive risk, innovation, and the boundaries of possibility.
SpaceX, with its bold mission to render humanity a multi-planetary species by colonizing Mars and revolutionizing space travel, and OpenAI, dedicated to building artificial intelligence capable of reasoning with something akin to human understanding, stand as two of the most visible symbols of this frontier-technology boom. Yet they are far from alone. Across the technology landscape, companies in artificial intelligence, robotics, and defense technology are achieving multi-billion-dollar valuations, defying skeptics and challenging the notion that such momentum represents a temporary bubble. Whether or not these valuations ultimately prove sustainable, the sheer volume of investment affirms a new era of ambition—one in which the boundaries between imagination and enterprise grow ever thinner.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-valuation-elon-musk-sam-altman-openai-rivalry-2025-12
