Sam Altman, the gay OpenAI CEO who once called Trump 'terrible,' is the latest tech titan to bow to him

NPC stands for "non-player character," referring to characters in video games that the player does not control. It is used as an insult to imply someone does not think for themselves, as if they are pre-programmed.

Altman's change of heart comes after Trump rescinded an executive order from former president Joe Biden placing guardrails around AI development, while also announcing a $500 billion private sector investment in AI infrastructure known as Stargate.

OpenAI announced the project on X, leading to some apparent jealousy from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has taken on a more involved role in the new administration. Musk claimed that "they don't actually have the money," prompting Altman to respond "wrong, as you surely know," and invite Musk to the construction site of the first of as many as 10 data centers "already under way."

"This is great for the country," Altman wrote. "I realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you'll mostly put [America] first."

This prompted Musk to repost several of Altman's old tweets, collected by journalist Kara Swisher, including some from as far back as 2016 that state "I think Trump is terrible and few things would make me happier than him not being president," and "Back to work tomorrow on a new project to stop Trump."

Altman was one of the few notable tech titans left out at Trump's inauguration, during which Musk, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg; out Apple CEO Tim Cook; and Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, all occupied the front row ahead of his cabinet members.

The OpenAI CEO also made a $1 million personal donation to Trump's inauguration fund in December, on top of the $1 million donated by Amazon and Meta each. Altman said in a statement via the Associated Press that Trump "will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead."

When asked about his thoughts on Musk's involvement in Trump's second term, Altman only said he is "not that worried." Musk, an early investor in OpenAI, sued the company in August, alleging that it “intentionally courted and deceived Musk, preying on Musk’s humanitarian concern about the existential dangers posed by artificial intelligence." Musk further motioned to prevent the company from transitioning to a for-profit organization last month.