Key takeaways:

• Elon Musk publicly questions the financial backing of the Stargate AI initiative announced by President Trump.
• Musk's criticisms have caused a rift with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, a partner in the Stargate project.
• The White House has reassured that Trump's relationship with Musk remains intact despite the public disagreement.

In a recent turn of events surrounding the Stargate AI initiative, President Donald Trump expressed that he is unfazed by Elon Musk's criticisms of the ambitious project, which aims to invest $500 billion into AI infrastructure. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman, took to social media to question the financial credibility of the companies involved, stating that SoftBank had secured "well under $10B" of the announced funding. "They don't actually have the money," Musk remarked in a post, challenging the authenticity of the $500 billion promise made at the project's announcement in the Business Insider.

During a press conference, President Trump dismissed the concerns raised by Musk, asserting, "No, it doesn't [bother me]," and acknowledged that while Musk may harbor animosity towards Altman, the people involved in Stargate are "very, very smart." This sentiment is echoed by others in the White House, where press secretary Karoline Leavitt described media speculation about Musk's relationship with Trump as "fake news," citing their recent meeting where both appeared to be on favorable terms, according to Newsweek.

Amidst these tensions, Altman took to X to confront Musk, suggesting that his criticisms stem from personal grievances rather than any factual basis, and invited Musk to see the first construction site in Texas, reiterating that the initiative is beneficial for the country. Altman emphasized, "... what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies," responding to Musk's skeptical remarks about the funding capabilities of the involved companies, as reported by India Times.

The Stargate initiative has been framed by Trump as a pivotal step towards making artificial general intelligence (AGI) a reality in the United States while fostering job creation in the tech sector. As construction begins on data centers, the project's future remains pivotal for both technological advancement and the evolving relationship between the tech industry and the current administration.