In May 2015, Sam Altman emailed Elon Musk stating, "I think we need a Manhattan Project for AI."

Around 2014-2016, Sam Altman used a subtle sales pitch for AI, suggesting regulation was necessary because the technology was "so scary that if you don't regulate me everyone you love will die."

Elon Musk was one of the co-founders of OpenAI in 2015 when the company started as a nonprofit.

Sam Altman constantly compares the development of AI to the Manhattan Project.

Sam Altman engineered an escape route for OpenAI called Project Stargate, a $500 billion master plan for independent data centers.

Elon Musk had a falling out with Sam Altman because Musk felt Altman had abandoned OpenAI's altruistic goals for profit.