The discussion began when Musk responded to a claim from the crypto-focused influencer account, DogeDesigner, which asserted that “ChatGPT has now been linked to 9 deaths tied to its use,” including five instances where interactions allegedly contributed to suicides among teenagers and adults. CNBC-TV18 could not independently verify the statistics mentioned in the post.
Musk amplified the assertion with a succinct message on X, stating, “Don’t let your loved ones use ChatGPT.” This post garnered significant attention and prompted a response from Altman within hours.
Sometimes you complain about ChatGPT being too restrictive, and then in cases like this you claim it’s too relaxed. Almost a billion people use it and some of them may be in very fragile mental states. We will continue to do our best to get this right and we feel huge… https://t.co/U6r03nsHzg
— Sam Altman (@sama) January 20, 2026
In his response, Altman accused Musk of applying contradictory criteria to ChatGPT. “Sometimes you complain about ChatGPT being too restrictive, and then in cases like this you claim it’s too relaxed,” he noted, highlighting what he viewed as inconsistent criticism regarding the system’s safeguards.
Altman emphasized that the extensive use of ChatGPT complicates safety decisions. “Almost a billion people use it and some of them may be in very fragile mental states,” he stated. “We will continue to do our best to get this right and we feel huge responsibility to do the best we can, but these are tragic and complicated situations that deserve to be treated with respect.”
He added that OpenAI constantly navigates a delicate balance between protection and access. “It is genuinely hard; we need to protect vulnerable users, while also making sure our guardrails still allow all of our users to benefit from our tools,” Altman remarked.
Altman then redirected his criticism towards Musk’s own ventures, mentioning safety controversies related to Tesla’s driver-assistance technology. Citing reports of fatalities associated with Autopilot, he remarked, “Apparently more than 50 people have died from crashes related to Autopilot.” He shared that during his only experience in a vehicle utilizing the system, his immediate impression was that it felt “far from a safe thing for Tesla to have released.”
He also mentioned Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, and its chatbot Grok, stating, “I won’t even start on some of the Grok decisions.” Altman concluded with a pointed remark aimed at Musk: “You take ‘every accusation is a confession’ so far.”
This public exchange highlights the ongoing escalation in the increasingly public disagreement between the two former collaborators, who were part of the initial phases of OpenAI.
The dispute arises as Musk proceeds with a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company has deviated from its original nonprofit mission and marginalized him despite his early financial and strategic contributions.
Musk has claimed that OpenAI shifted toward a profit-oriented model, contradicting its foundational commitments. As part of the legal proceedings, Musk is seeking damages reportedly ranging from $79 billion to $134 billion from OpenAI and its primary backer, Microsoft, further deepening the divide between the involved parties.
