Elon Musk has responded sharply after OpenAI confirmed it is ending its partnership with Cursor, a coding tool acquired by Musk’s SpaceX. The move brings an end to a nearly four-year working relationship and adds fresh fuel to the long-running feud between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Reacting on X, Musk dismissed the decision, saying he “couldn’t care less” before attacking Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, calling them “untrustworthy assholes who stole an open source nonprofit.”
Cursor, founded in 2022, was acquired by SpaceX earlier this year. Musk has separately sued OpenAI and Altman, accusing them of “stealing a charity” by steering the company away from its original nonprofit mission.
I couldn’t care less. Scam Altman and Greg Stockman are utterly untrustworthy assholes who stole an open source nonprofit.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 29, 2026
Why OpenAI Is Cutting Ties
OpenAI said its partnership with Cursor involved a custom agreement designed to ensure compliance with its terms and the safe deployment of its models at scale.
According to OpenAI, that arrangement became a concern following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, which is now part of SpaceX, and Musk’s own courtroom admission earlier this year that xAI had breached comparable terms.
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“Today, we notified SpaceX that we intend to wind down our contract providing OpenAI models to Cursor, with a proposed shutoff date of November 12, 2026. To maximize the time that developers can retain access to our models through Cursor, we are giving the maximum notice provided by our contract,” OpenAI said in its announcement.
The company added that the decision was “incredibly tough” given how much it values keeping its models broadly available to developers. However, it said it could not be confident that SpaceX would operate within its terms going forward, citing its history with Musk’s companies.
OpenAI also said its custom agreement with Cursor allows for a limited cancellation window following a change of control. It cited the need for added accountability as it prepares to release its upcoming model, Astra.
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Cursor Responds
Michael Truell, Cursor’s co-founder and now a SpaceX executive, responded to OpenAI’s announcement on X, saying Cursor was among OpenAI’s earliest users. He added that SpaceX is in talks with the OpenAI team to try to resolve the situation.
Truell said OpenAI’s models currently account for about 5% of Cursor’s user traffic. He added that Cursor had “worked closely with their team for years” and had trusted the platform as neutral infrastructure for its business.
OpenAI, meanwhile, said it has worked with Cursor for nearly four years and has “enormous respect” for its team and product. The company said its main concern was for developers who rely on OpenAI models through Cursor and that it was prepared to support them through the transition.
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