Elon Musk’s Last-Ditch Effort to Control OpenAI: Recruit Sam Altman to Tesla

# The Takeover That Never Happened Back in 2017, Elon Musk tried to recruit OpenAI's leader Sam Altman to run a competing AI lab at Tesla, according to newly revealed messages—essentially attempting to gain control over OpenAI by pulling away its top talent. The plan didn't work out, but it shows how Musk was willing to go to significant lengths to shape the direction of AI development when he felt OpenAI wasn't moving in the direction he wanted. This backstory matters today because it reveals the long-running tension between Musk and the company he helped found, which eventually led to his recent legal battles with OpenAI.