Elon Musk has reversed his public stance on Anthropic, now calling the AI lab the undisputed leader in the field after SpaceX signed a $40 billion deal to host its models. In a post on X on Thursday, Musk wrote that he was “clearly wrong” about the company, which he had dismissed in September 2025 as incapable of winning.
The comments came after users on X speculated that Musk could one day simply boot Anthropic from SpaceX’s servers to kneecap a rival. Musk dismissed that idea, writing: “That’s not my style.” He pointed to Tesla’s 2014 decision to not initiate patent lawsuits against competitors in good faith, and to Tesla opening its Supercharger network and charging port design. “Even my worst enemies can attack me on this platform,” he added.
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The $40 billion infrastructure deal
Anthropic signed a deal in May 2026 to buy the entire 300-megawatt output of xAI’s Colossus 1 data center near Memphis, Tennessee. The agreement runs through May 2029 at $1.25 billion per month, worth roughly $40 billion in total revenue for SpaceX’s xAI unit. (Musk’s xAI merged with SpaceX in February 2026.) Google also signed a deal to rent SpaceX infrastructure through June 2029 for $920 million per month.
Musk acknowledged Anthropic’s current dominance, writing: “They are obviously currently the leader in AI. No company has released a model as good as Mythos/Fable and they will undoubtedly have Mythos 2 ready soon.”
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Contractual and competitive safeguards
Anthropic does not have to rely solely on Musk’s word. The deal almost certainly includes contractual protections that would impose significant consequences if SpaceX abruptly shut down infrastructure. Moreover, the financial upside for SpaceX is enormous — not just the $40 billion in direct revenue, but also the engineering knowledge gained from supporting Anthropic’s rapidly growing AI workloads, similar to how Amazon’s engineers learn from hosting AWS customers.
There are also competitive risks. During his trial against OpenAI, Musk acknowledged that AI “distilling” — where one model maker uses fake accounts to probe a competitor’s model — is common practice. “Generally AI companies distill other AI companies,” Musk testified. Anthropic accused three Chinese model makers of doing this to Claude in February 2026. Hosting Anthropic’s compute could give SpaceX greater visibility into the company’s operations than most competitors would ever have.
For now, the partnership appears to carry nothing but upside for Musk’s company. As the three-year contract ages, the dynamics could shift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Elon Musk change his opinion about Anthropic?
Musk previously said winning was not possible for Anthropic, but after SpaceX signed a $40 billion deal to host its models, he now calls the company the clear leader in AI.
What is the value of the SpaceX-Anthropic deal?
Anthropic agreed to pay $1.25 billion per month through May 2029 for 300 megawatts of compute, totaling approximately $40 billion in revenue for SpaceX’s xAI unit.
Could Musk cut off Anthropic from SpaceX servers?
Musk says that would not be his style, citing Tesla’s 2014 patent pledge. Additionally, contractual consequences and the massive financial upside for SpaceX make such a move unlikely.
What is the Mythos/Fable model?
Mythos/Fable is Anthropic’s latest AI model, which Musk described as the best available, with Mythos 2 expected soon.
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