OpenAI's Joshua Achiam Says Musk Called Him a 'Jackass' in 2018 as AGI Safety Clash Erupted
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · May 13
OpenAI's Joshua Achiam Says Musk Called Him a 'Jackass' in 2018 as AGI Safety Clash Erupted
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · May 13
Joshua Achiam told a federal jury that Elon Musk called him a "jackass" during a February 2018 OpenAI all-hands meeting before Musk's departure from the startup.
Achiam said the clash erupted after he challenged Musk's push to race toward AGI, which he and other researchers viewed as unsafe and potentially reckless.
Around 50 to 60 employees attended the meeting, where Musk said Tesla would soon compete with OpenAI for AI talent, creating a conflict of interest, and signaled little confidence in OpenAI's direction.
Achiam rejected Musk's suggestion that the insult was meant to push him out of his comfort zone, testifying that Musk was simply angry at being challenged.
Colleagues later gave Achiam a gold "jackass" trophy inscribed "Never stop being a jackass for safety," underscoring how the trial is revisiting OpenAI's early internal split with Musk over AGI strategy.
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