OpenAI has recruited Mike Liberatore, formerly of xAI, as its new business finance officer, amplifying tensions between billionaire rivals Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Liberatore, who departed xAI after three months, will oversee significant infrastructure spending, reporting directly to CFO Sarah Friar. His previous experience includes key finance roles at Airbnb, SquareTrade, eBay, and PayPal, and he recently played a major role in a $5 billion debt sale for xAI.
His exit comes amid departures of other senior executives from xAI, attributed to public failures of its chatbot, Grok. The rivalry between Musk and Altman continues to escalate, marked by public disputes and Musk’s unsuccessful $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI. The company, valued at $500 billion, recently committed to substantial investments in cloud computing, including a $300 billion agreement with Oracle. Both leaders continue to exchange jabs publicly, further fueling their longstanding feud.
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