--- title: "Elon Musk Got Destroyed After Accusing Top AI Scientist of “Going Soft”" description: "Multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk picked a fight with Meta's AI chief and \"godfather\" of AI Yann LeCun — and lost it in a big way." date: "2024-05-28" modified: "2024-05-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-destroyed-top-ai-scientist-yann-lecun" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "elon musk" - "Meta" - "xai" - "yann lecun" --- # Elon Musk Got Destroyed After Accusing Top AI Scientist of “Going Soft” ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk picked a fight with Meta's AI chief [and "godfather" of AI]() Yann LeCun — and lost it in a big way. Over the weekend, the two butted heads after Musk's xAI startup [raised $6 billion]() in a fresh round of funding. "Join xAI if you believe in our mission of understanding the universe, which requires maximally rigorous pursuit of the truth, without regard to popularity or political correctness," Musk [tweeted]() on Monday. LeCun, who already [has a history of sparring]() with the mercurial CEO, shot back — and went for the throat. "Join xAI if you can stand a boss who claims that what you are working on will be solved next year (no pressure)," he [tweeted](). "\[Musk\] claims that what you are working on will kill everyone and must be stopped or paused (yay, vacation for 6 months!), claims to want a 'maximally rigorous pursuit of the truth' but spews crazy-ass conspiracy theories on his own social platform." Naturally, Musk didn't take kindly to LeCun's assertions and reacted with a characteristically low-brow and [below-the-belt jab](), [accusing]() the scientist of "going soft" after having *only* published "[over 80 technical papers]() since January 2022." "Try harder!" Musk offered. LeCun, however, had a far more tactful response. "I like his cars, his rockets, his solar panels, and his satellite network," he said, referring to Musk's other ventures like SpaceX and Tesla. "I very much dislike his vengeful politics, his conspiracy theories, and his hype." Despite the Tesla CEO's protests, LeCun makes plenty of valid points. Just last week, Musk made yet another brash and likely unsubstantiated claim that artificial general intelligence (AGI) was [less than a year off]() (the consensus among actual experts [appears to be]() a lot further off than that). Musk has also [repeatedly warned of the dangers]() of having an AI go rogue, his own billion-dollar AI venture notwithstanding, of course. Finally, Musk's pursuit of what he [claims to be the "truth,"]() the solution to "woke" and "mind virus"-induced thinking, is arguably nothing less than a "crazy-ass conspiracy" theory, as LeCun puts it. Over the last year, Musk has — inasmuch as a billionaire with as wide a sphere of power and influence as he has can, and then some — gone right off the deep end, making plenty of troubling statements, including [racist outbursts]() and [unhinged rants]() on his recently purchased social media platform. In short, it shouldn't come as a surprise at this point that users on X-formerly-Twitter, who have stuck with him and remain on the site, are siding with Musk. But let the point stand: An actual refutation of LeCun's jabs remains to be seen from Musk. The critiques were calculated, and have the distinct whiff of truth, especially given Musk's long, detailed, public history of mercurial leadership (to say nothing of his petulant red herring response to LeCun's points). The entire exchange should serve as a fresh reminder of Musk's unshaken commitment to making unsubstantiated and largely self-serving claims, especially when it comes to his AI venture. If your money's on Musk, or even more, invested with him, here's hoping his latest bluster has a better outcome than [the last]() big campaign. **More on Musk:** *[Elon Musk Reportedly Took Ketamine and Had Sex With the Wife of the Cofounder of Google]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()