Elon Musk has publicly praised Anthropic’s latest AI models and promised he would not use his company’s infrastructure to undermine the rival startup, seeking to ease concerns over one of the AI industry’s most unusual business partnerships.
The comments came after users on X questioned whether Musk could one day remove Anthropic’s access to SpaceX’s computing infrastructure to weaken a competitor. Musk rejected the suggestion, saying such a move was “not my style” and admitting he had underestimated the company. He also described Anthropic as the current leader in artificial intelligence, praising its Mythos/Fable models and predicting that an even stronger successor is on the way.
The relationship between the two companies has grown significantly this year. In May, Anthropic signed an agreement to purchase 300 megawatts of computing capacity, equivalent to the full output of xAI’s Colossus 1 data center near Memphis, Tennessee. Following xAI’s merger with SpaceX earlier this year, the deal is expected to generate approximately $1.25 billion per month through May 2029, totaling about $40 billion in revenue. Google has also signed a multiyear agreement to lease computing infrastructure from SpaceX.
Musk pointed to Tesla’s long-standing patent pledge, its decision to open its Supercharger network to competitors, and SpaceX’s willingness to launch rival satellite systems as examples of what he described as fair treatment of competitors. He argued that he would not intentionally disrupt Anthropic’s operations, even though the companies compete in the rapidly evolving AI market.
Still, observers note that Musk has not always avoided aggressive legal action against rivals. He has previously sued OpenAI, a company he helped found, highlighting the complex relationships among major AI firms.
The partnership also raises broader questions about competition and data security. During his legal dispute with OpenAI, Musk acknowledged that AI companies commonly use model distillation, a technique that attempts to learn from competing systems. Anthropic has previously accused several Chinese AI developers of using similar methods against its Claude models.
For now, the agreement appears to benefit both companies. Anthropic gains access to massive computing resources, while SpaceX secures billions in long-term revenue. Whether that relationship remains as strong over the life of the contract remains an open question.
