Musk Considers Banning Employees from Apple Products Due to OpenAI Partnership Concerns

Elon Musk has issued a stern warning to his employees: they may be prohibited from using Apple devices following the announcement that Apple will integrate technology from OpenAI. During the company’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed plans to adopt OpenAI’s technology into their products, sparking Musk's outrage.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI before establishing his own artificial intelligence venture, xAI, reacted by labeling the integration an "unacceptable security violation." He took to X to express his concerns, stating, “Visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage,” highlighting his apprehension about potential data security risks.

Musk's criticism extended to the decision itself, calling it "patently absurd" that Apple chose to license technology from OpenAI rather than develop its own AI solutions. He described OpenAI’s technology as “creepy spyware” and admonished Apple for not grasping the implications of sharing user data with third-party AI systems. “Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI,” he asserted. “They’re selling you down the river.”

Moreover, Musk criticized Apple's public stance on privacy, arguing that their collaboration with OpenAI contradicts their claims. He articulated frustration with a scenario where Apple promotes privacy protections while entrusting sensitive information to an AI they neither understand nor have created themselves. “Apple using the words ‘protect your privacy’ while handing your data over to a third-party AI is *not* protecting privacy at all,” he declared.

Musk’s establishment of xAI follows a series of contentious interactions with OpenAI, leading him to publicly question the organization’s commitment to AI safety. He has frequently suggested that profit motives have overshadowed ethical considerations in OpenAI's partnership with Microsoft, further exacerbating the divide between his perspective and that of the company he once co-founded.

In March, Musk intensified the conflict by filing a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging a breach of contract after it established a for-profit branch that is largely owned by Microsoft. OpenAI dismissed Musk's legal claims, suggesting that his grievances stem from jealousy over the company's achievements in his absence. This rivalry highlights the ongoing debates surrounding AI innovation, ethics, and corporate responsibility.

As tensions mount within the tech industry, the path forward for both Musk's xAI and OpenAI remains uncertain, with privacy concerns and the protection of user data at the forefront of the conversation.