Alda Heximer C4Ox

Elon Musk was inside the White House complex when his phone started buzzing. Sam Altman was about to take the stage with Donald Trump. Confused, Musk turned on the TV. What he saw sent him into a rage. Altman stood beside Trump, smiling, as they announced a $500 billion AI initiative called Stargate.

Musk had been practically glued to Trump in the months leading up to the second term. He had campaigned for him, spent hundreds of millions backing him, and positioned himself as Trump’s tech confidant. But somehow, his biggest enemy had beaten him to the punch.

While Musk was focused on his political influence, Altman had been meeting Trump’s top advisors, locking in deals with SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Oracle’s Larry Ellison, and crafting a pitch that Trump couldn’t refuse.

Musk’s reaction was immediate. He lashed out to aides, fuming that the Stargate investors didn’t actually have the money they promised. Then he went nuclear. Within days, Musk launched a hostile $97.4 billion bid to seize control of OpenAI.

From co-founders to enemies

In 2015, Musk and Altman were allies. They had dinner every Wednesday, obsessed over the dangers of AI, and feared a world where artificial intelligence would spiral out of human control. That paranoia led them to co-found OpenAI, a nonprofit designed to counter Google’s dominance in artificial intelligence.

Musk pledged the bulk of a $1 billion investment and became the company’s most powerful force. But things changed in 2017. OpenAI realized that staying nonprofit wasn’t sustainable. They needed more money—a lot more.

Musk had a solution: take full control and make himself CEO. Altman and OpenAI’s leadership resisted. Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever sided with Altman. They told Musk that giving him total control would create the exact kind of AI dictatorship they had sworn to prevent.

Musk was furious. “This is the final straw,” he wrote in an email. Within months, he quit OpenAI.

ChatGPT changes everything

For years, OpenAI quietly pushed forward without Musk. Then, in November 2022, everything changed.

OpenAI released ChatGPT, and AI went mainstream overnight. Millions of users swarmed the platform. Silicon Valley called it the most transformative consumer-tech product since the iPhone.

Musk, watching from the outside, was livid. He had walked away, and now Altman was the face of AI. He attacked OpenAI, accusing them of moving too fast and ignoring safety. In early 2023, he signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on AI development.

Then he launched xAI, his own AI company. The goal was simple: beat OpenAI at its own game. But while Altman’s AI empire kept expanding, Musk’s xAI struggled to keep up.

By 2024, Musk was done watching from the sidelines. He went on the attack, suing OpenAI for allegedly betraying its original nonprofit mission. The lawsuit dragged on for months. Then Trump won re-election, and Altman saw an opening.

Altman outplays Musk in Washington

Altman had always been a Democrat, but he wasn’t about to let Musk be the only tech billionaire in Trump’s ear. So he started working his way in.

Altman’s strategy was simple but brutal. He met with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s transition team leader, and pitched an AI plan so massive that Trump couldn’t ignore it.

That plan was Stargate: a $500 billion investment into U.S. AI infrastructure. Altman lined up SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Oracle’s Larry Ellison as key backers.

Four days before the inauguration, Ellison brokered a private call between Altman and Trump. Altman sold him on the vision—billions in U.S. data centers, thousands of jobs, a technological leap forward. Trump loved it.

When Altman arrived for the inauguration, he made sure to avoid Musk. Instead of sitting with tech CEOs, he met privately with Trump’s allies, making sure Stargate was set.

Then, the day after the inauguration, he stepped onto the White House stage with Trump and announced it to the world.

Musk found out the same way the rest of the world did—by watching it on TV.

Musk declares war

Musk erupted. He called Stargate “fake” on X, telling his allies that the investors didn’t actually have the money. But he didn’t stop there.

Within days, he launched a $97.4 billion hostile takeover bid for OpenAI. His message to investors?

“Let’s go to war with Sam Altman.”

Altman, who was in Paris for an AI summit, found out from The Wall Street Journal. He scrambled to respond. On Slack, he reportedly told OpenAI employees that Musk was just trying to derail the company.

Then he hit Musk where it hurt.

“No thank you,” Altman posted on X, “but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

It was a brutal response. Musk had overpaid $44 billion for Twitter in 2022—only to see its value collapse. Altman’s counteroffer was a direct slap in the face.

Musk wasn’t done. He told investors he would withdraw his bid if OpenAI returned to being a nonprofit. OpenAI’s board didn’t even blink.

On Friday, they officially rejected Musk’s offer.

“OpenAI is not for sale,” board chairman Bret Taylor wrote in a letter. “Mr. Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition has failed.”

Musk’s lawyer, Marc Toberoff, fired back: “No surprise. They’re scared.”

Musk framed his takeover as a mission to save OpenAI from itself. “It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” he said.

Altman? He wasn’t buying it.

“Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity,” Altman said in an interview. “I feel for the guy. I don’t think he’s a happy person.”

The war between Musk and Altman isn’t over. It’s just beginning.

French President Emmanuel Macron has summoned European leaders for an emergency meeting in Paris to discuss the escalating global tensions caused by Donald Trump’s latest economic and geopolitical decisions. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, according to a report from Fox.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski first hinted at the gathering while speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. He said the leaders would address Trump’s actions “in a very serious fashion” and described the U.S. president’s strategy as a form of military-style testing.

“President Trump operates using what the Russians call ‘razvedka boyem’—reconnaissance through battle. He pushes forward, watches what happens, then adjusts. And we need to respond,” Sikorski told attendees.

Europe scrambles to react as Trump threatens new tariffs

Trump has announced sweeping tariffs, including a 25% duty on U.S. steel and aluminum imports, set to take effect on March 12. He has also instructed his administration to prepare additional automobile tariffs, expected to be revealed in April.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, said the European Union is preparing to counteract any economic harm but remains open to negotiations.

“We are strong enough to respond to anything that damages the European economy,” Scholz said on Saturday. “But we should always leave room for an agreement, because it benefits everyone, especially on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is already reviewing countermeasures. If Trump moves ahead with the tariffs, Brussels is ready to hit back with retaliatory duties on U.S. goods. Officials have reportedly reactivated lists of American products that were targeted during Trump’s first term.

“The EU will respond firmly and immediately against unjustified trade barriers, including tariffs designed to attack legal and non-discriminatory policies,” the European Commission said in a statement on Friday.

The tariffs aren’t just about trade. Trump’s economic aggression is unfolding at a time when Germany’s economy is under immense pressure. The country is grappling with high energy costs, a slowdown in exports, and rising support for the far-right AfD party, which advocates for leaving the eurozone and scrapping environmental policies.

Trump had said on Truth Social that:

“I have decided, for purposes of Fairness, that I will charge a RECIPROCAL Tariff meaning, whatever Countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them – No more, no less! For purposes of this United States Policy, we will consider Countries that use the VAT System, which is far more punitive than a Tariff, to be similar to that of a Tariff. Sending merchandise, product, or anything by any other name through another Country, for purposes of unfairly harming America, will not be accepted.”

He also warned that foreign government subsidies designed to undercut American businesses will be dealt with, along with hidden trade barriers that block U.S. products or shut out American companies. “We know exactly how much these sneaky trade barriers cost us,” Trump said, making it clear that the U.S. will fight back against unfair economic tactics.

His message to the world? Either lower your tariffs against the U.S., or deal with the consequences. He reminded everyone that countries have been leeching off America for decades, whether they were allies or adversaries. That’s over. “If you manufacture in the U.S., you don’t have to worry about tariffs. Simple as that.”

Trump ended by saying he’s already given the green light to his top officials—State, Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR—to make sure America gets exactly what it deserves. “We’re bringing real fairness back to trade. No more one-sided deals. It’s about time these countries remember everything America has done for them.”

Macron walks a tightrope with Trump amid economic tensions

Macron has maintained cordial relations with Trump since the November election, despite the looming trade war. After Trump’s victory, Macron posted a message on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump. Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

The relationship appeared warm in December when Trump visited Paris for the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening. Macron personally welcomed him, saying:

“It’s a great honor for French people to welcome you five years later. You were president at that time, and I remember your solidarity and immediate action. So, welcome back. We are happy to have you here.”

Behind closed doors, however, European officials are growing uneasy about Trump’s economic unpredictability. The Paris meeting signals that Macron and other EU leaders are preparing for a serious confrontation with Washington.

Trump’s strategy is clear—he believes in economic retaliation. On Thursday, he instructed his team to develop new tariffs targeting countries he deems unfair trading partners. The move, described by Politico as his most aggressive trade action yet, has sent shockwaves across Europe’s political and economic circles.

EU disses Trump for being reckless

The European Union, which prides itself on having some of the world’s lowest tariffs, is furious. In a direct rebuke, the European Commission slammed Trump’s “reciprocal tariff” policy, calling it economically reckless and warning that it will increase business costs, hurt American consumers, and drive inflation higher.

Brussels is not backing down, said Sikorski, who added that officials are now reassessing past retaliatory measures, which were previously imposed on Trump’s administration during his first term. Sikorski said if necessary, the EU would act immediately.

The tariffs, if implemented, could worsen Germany’s financial woes and further destabilize Scholz’s already fragile political standing ahead of the February 23 election.

Brussels’ retaliation strategy will be multi-layered. According to a Bloomberg report, EU officials have also confirmed that past tariff models from Trump’s first term have been updated and prepared for immediate deployment. The scope of countermeasures could range from targeted tariffs on U.S. goods to diplomatic pressure on key American industries.

The White House has yet to respond to Macron’s emergency summit, but sources inside Washington indicate that Trump has no intention of backing down. His administration is moving full speed ahead, with officials drafting tariff policies that will be announced in the coming weeks.

Sikorski, speaking on behalf of several EU leaders, said Europe’s message to Trump is this: “We act together, and we will stick together. The European economy is strong enough to take action, and that’s exactly what we will do.”

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