--- title: "Godfather of AI Blasts Elon Musk" description: "After Elon Musk decided to start talking smack, AI \"godfather\" Yann LeCun had a few choice words for the South African mogul." date: "2024-10-29" modified: "2024-10-29" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-godfather-blasts-elon-musk" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "politics" - "the digest" - "yann lecun" --- # Godfather of AI Blasts Elon Musk ![After Elon Musk decided to start talking smack, AI "godfather" Yann LeCun had a few choice words for the South African mogul.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch / Angela Weiss / AFP vai Getty / Futurism\* ## Serving LeCun After multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk decided to start talking smack about [media]() and [democracy](), AI "[godfather]()" Yann LeCun had a few choice words for the South African mogul. The debacle began with far-right pundit Ben Shapiro [criticizing the *New York Times*' research methods](). As [he's wont to do](), the website's billionaire owner Musk [co-signed the pundit's position]() by shooting off his own [quote-tweeted missive]() about what he thinks of the newspaper. "The *New York Times* is a threat to our democracy," the [self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist"]() declared. In response, LeCun let Musk have it. "Objectively," [the Facebook AI czar quipped](), "*you* are the biggest threat to democracy in America today." "You are an oligarch who bought himself a huge megaphone so he could use it to support a would-be dictator," LeCun continued, referring to Musk's acquisition of Twitter, "and to discredit the press, scientists, research organizations, the electoral process, and all the institutions necessary for a functioning democracy." ## Fighting Words It's [certainly not the first time]() the [Turing Award-winning]() computer scientist has criticized Musk, nor will it likely be the last. Earlier this year, the mercurial CEO picked a fight with the AI pioneer — and learned quickly that he's not to be messed with. To be fair, that sparring match occurred after LeCun mocked a [hiring call for xAI](), Musk's OpenAI competitor. "Join xAI if you can stand a boss who claims that what you are working on will be solved next year (no pressure)," [LeCun tweeted](). The billionaire, bless his heart, really did try to clap back. "What 'science” have you done in the past five years?" [Musk queried](). LeCun responded with a link to the [more than 80 technical papers]() he'd put out since early 2022 — and when Musk told him he was "[going soft]()" and that he should "try harder," the AI expert couldn't help but laugh. "Now you're acting as if you were my boss," [LeCun responded](), replete with cry-laughing emojis. It's clear that there's little love lost between these two opposing powerhouses — but as LeCun so aptly pointed out earlier this year, only one has the [published bona fides]() to back it up. **More on Musk:** [*Philadelphia DA Sues Elon Musk for Paying Voters*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()