The Art of Influence: How Sam Altman Outflanked Elon Musk and Became the Centerpiece of Trump’s AI Agenda
The Phone Call that Changed Everything
At President Trump’s inauguration, Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, was relegated to the overflow room while other tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg took prime spots on the dais under the Capitol rotunda. But days earlier, before flying into Washington, Mr. Altman was on the phone with Mr. Trump, preparing an announcement that would outflank Mr. Musk and put Mr. Altman’s company at the center of the new administration’s agenda for artificial intelligence.
The Deal
On the 25-minute call, Mr. Altman appealed to Mr. Trump’s love of a big story and of a big deal. Mr. Altman told the president-elect that the tech industry would achieve artificial general intelligence — the hypothetical moment when technology matches human intelligence — during the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the call. And to get there before competitors from China, OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank had completed a $100 billion deal to build data centers across the country.
The Announcement
The day after the inauguration, Mr. Altman stood behind Mr. Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House as Mr. Trump announced the deal, called Stargate, and described it as the "largest A.I. infrastructure project by far in history."
The Courtship
Even before the presidential election, Mr. Altman quietly worked his way into Mr. Trump’s inner circle, according to interviews with more than a dozen people familiar with Mr. Altman’s drive to win over Mr. Trump. Many of the details of that courtship, which went on for months, have never been reported before.
The Meeting
During the meeting in Las Vegas, Mr. Brockman and OpenAI’s chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, showed Mr. Trump the company’s A.I. video generator, Sora, which had not yet been released to the public, the two people said. With the technology, anyone can generate videos — like a herd of woolly mammoths trotting through a snowy meadow — simply by typing a sentence into a box on a computer screen.
The Challenges
As the 2024 election approached, Mr. Altman questioned President Biden’s ability to win. But he did donate to Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign in 2023, as well as to many state Democratic Party organizations. He also donated to Republican campaigns (but not to the Trump campaign) and regularly communicated with Republican lawmakers. And in private, OpenAI was hedging its bets. In early June, two OpenAI executives met with Mr. Trump in a hotel room in Las Vegas, according to two people familiar with the meeting.
Conclusion
Sam Altman’s ability to outflank Elon Musk and become the centerpiece of Trump’s AI agenda is a testament to his talent for shape shifting and nearly two decades of deal making in Silicon Valley. It also offers a view of Trump’s flexible loyalties when it comes to being wooed, as well as the limits of Musk’s ability to influence tech policy.
FAQs
Q: What is Stargate?
A: Stargate is a $100 billion deal to build data centers across the country, announced by President Trump and Sam Altman.
Q: Who is Sam Altman?
A: Sam Altman is the chief executive of OpenAI, a company that specializes in artificial intelligence.
Q: Why did Sam Altman outflank Elon Musk?
A: Sam Altman was able to outflank Elon Musk by appealing to President Trump’s love of a big story and of a big deal, and by securing a $100 billion deal to build data centers across the country.
Q: What is the significance of the phone call between Sam Altman and President Trump?
A: The phone call between Sam Altman and President Trump was significant because it marked the beginning of a close relationship between the two, and it paved the way for the announcement of the Stargate deal.
