Elon Musk drifted from Larry Page over a decade ago, but their companies are closer than ever

Elon Musk recounts a pivotal moment in his relationship with Google co-founder Larry Page, which soured during a birthday celebration in June 2015. At that gathering, Page allegedly labeled Musk a "speciesist" for prioritizing humans over potential AI entities. This personal rift coincided with a growing concern over the implications of artificial intelligence, a topic that remains relevant as Musk approaches his 55th birthday. Fast forward to today, both Musk and Page hold the titles of the richest individuals globally, with Musk's wealth surpassing $1 trillion and Page's nearing $300 billion. While their personal relationship may be strained, their companies are now more interlinked than ever. Following a significant $900 million investment from Google in SpaceX, the tech giant owns nearly 4.9% of Musk's aerospace company, which is increasingly venturing into the AI sector. In a groundbreaking move, SpaceX has just announced a deal to lease AI infrastructure to Google for an astounding $920 million per month over a span of 32 months. This agreement has the potential to inject $30 billion into SpaceX’s AI operations, a critical boost for a division that has faced challenges. Over the past 11 years, the intersection of Musk and Page's professional paths has led to numerous collaborations and rivalries. In 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI with Sam Altman, aiming to create a counterbalance to Google’s powerful AI division, DeepMind. As Google invested heavily in SpaceX that same year, Musk expressed concerns about Google's potential monopolization of AI technology. Their competition intensified as Tesla and Google's autonomous vehicle division, Waymo, emerged. While Tesla was developing its Model S, Waymo was already laying the groundwork for its self-driving technology. In subsequent years, Musk has continually criticized Waymo, asserting that Tesla's approach to self-driving technology, which relies on cameras instead of lidar sensors, is more advanced. In 2021, as Google sought to expand its cloud services, it secured a significant partnership with SpaceX to enhance the Starlink satellite internet service. This collaboration showcased the strategic synergy between the two companies, further entwining their operational destinies. The drama between Musk and Google has not been limited to business. Reports surfaced in late 2021 of Musk’s alleged affair with Sergey Brin’s ex-wife, leading to Brin filing for divorce. Although Musk denied the allegations, the incident added a layer of complexity to their relationship. Most recently, SpaceX has solidified its role as a cloud provider for Google, showcasing the ongoing collaboration between these tech titans. With the new AI compute capacity deal, both companies are positioning themselves to meet the escalating demand for AI services, turning a complicated past into a potentially lucrative future.