Topline
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested one of his company’s latest AI models, 5.6 Sol, was the “best model in the world right now,” taking a jab at SpaceXAI chief Elon Musk after he accused Altman of scamming users and customers Saturday morning.
Musk and Altman traded barbs Saturday morning.
Photo by Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu via Getty Images
Key Facts
Altman argued there were “a lot of benchmarks to suggest” 5.6 Sol was the top AI model in the world, “but the most reliable way to tell is that elon is obsessed with me again.”
Musk said in a post early Saturday morning that Altman “takes scamming to a whole new level.”
Altman responded to Musk’s post, saying, “homeboy you’re the one selling public market investors on short-term space datacenters,” referring to orbital data centers Musk has championed and seeks to launch as a solution to AI energy limitations on Earth.
OpenAI and SpaceXAI both released the latest versions of their flagship AI models this week, with OpenAI releasing GPT‑5.6 and SpaceXAI releasing Grok 4.5.
5.6 Sol is the agentic version of ChatGPT, designed to handle multi-step tasks autonomously—the same as Grok 4.5.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk’s net worth at $917.3 billion as of Saturday, about a month after he became the first trillionaire in history. Altman’s estimated net worth is $3.4 billion.
GPT 5.6 Vs. Grok 4.5
OpenAI’s latest model excels at broad reasoning and business workflows and cybersecurity, while Grok 4.5 is highly efficient at autonomous coding and developer workflows. SpaceXAI has boasted Grok 4.5’s efficiency, as it is cheaper to use than GPT 5.6, though the OpenAI model outperforms Grok on some features including abstract reasoning.
Key Background
Tensions between Musk and Altman are at a high as their AI companies battle for supremacy. The two chief executives are just a few months removed from a lawsuit in which Musk, one of the founders of OpenAI, accused Altman of deceit and breach of contract by shifting the company from its nonprofit mission to a for-profit enterprise. Musk sought up to $150 billion in damages from Altman and vowed to appeal the ruling after a jury found he missed the deadlines to file his lawsuit. Musk and Altman have repeatedly traded blows in recent years, mocking each other’s businesses and lobbing personal insults.
Further Reading
Musk To Appeal OpenAI Verdict: Lawyer Says ‘War’ Is ‘Not Over’ (Forbes)
