How Sam Altman Outmaneuvered Elon Musk to Gain Donald Trump’s Favor

During President Trump’s inauguration, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, found himself in an overflow room. Meanwhile, tech giants like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg got the spotlight right under the Capitol dome.

Just days before, Altman was on a call with Trump. The two discussed an announcement that would position OpenAI prominently in the new administration’s priorities regarding artificial intelligence.

Altman grabbed Trump’s attention with a bold claim. He told the president-elect that artificial general intelligence—a point where machines can think like humans—could be achieved during Trump’s term. To reach this milestone ahead of Chinese competitors, OpenAI, along with Oracle and SoftBank, was preparing a major deal worth $100 billion to create data centers nationwide.

The day after the inauguration, Altman stood with Trump in the Roosevelt Room. Here, Trump unveiled the deal, named Stargate, calling it the largest AI infrastructure project in history.

Though Stargate had been planned for months, Altman and his team smartly timed the announcement, ensuring Trump could claim credit early in his presidency.

In front of reporters, Altman praised the president: “We wouldn’t be able to do this without you, Mr. President.”