Elon Musk meltdown? Billionaire goes ballistic at Grok, the chatbot he created, fuels speculation about internal chaos at X and xAI

It's not common to catch someone publicly slamming their own invention, but when you're Elon Musk, even your AI may not be off-limits to criticism.

The billionaire, over the weekend, seemed to lose patience with Grok — the AI chatbot his own company, xAI, after it fact-checked a conspiracy-leaning message and referred to legacy media sources as credible, according to a report.

The Post That Sparked the Fire

This happened when a user on social media platform X @amuse posted an "article" claiming that billionaires such as George Soros, Bill Gates, and the Ford Foundation were using their fortunes to "hijack federal grants" by "seeding" nongovernmental organizations with left-wing ideology, reported Futurism.


These claims were based on speculation and lacked any foundation, filled with buzzwords like "DEI" and missing any real evidence or balanced opinion, according to the report.

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Grok Pushes Back

Then an X user asked Grok to analyze the post, following which the AI rejected the article's key point and argued that there was "no evidence" that Soros, Gates, and the Ford Foundation "hijack federal grants or engage in illegal influence peddling," quoted Futurism.

After that, the X user asked Grok to explain what "verified" sources it had used to give the argument, to which Grok responded by saying that it used "foundation websites and reputable news outlets," naming The Atlantic and the BBC, which it said are "credible" and "backed by independent audits and editorial standards," reported Futurism.

Grok wrote, "No evidence shows the Gates, Soros, or Ford Foundations hijacking grants; they operate legally with private funds," adding, "However, their support for progressive causes raises transparency concerns, fueling debate. Critics question their influence, while supporters highlight societal benefits. Verification comes from audits and public records, but skepticism persists in polarized discussions," as quoted in the report.

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Elon Musk Is Not Happy With Grok

The AI chatbot's response, apparently, did not go well with Musk as he reacted by saying, "This is embarrassing," as quoted by Futurism. Grok's response is in contrast to Musk's view as he has for years not trusted legacy media organizations and even specific journalists, as per the report.

However, it not known if Musk was specifically mad about the characterization of news outlets or claims by Soros-founded organizations as reliable, according to Futurism.

FAQs

What did Elon Musk criticize his AI for?
He called Grok’s fact-checking of a conspiracy post “embarrassing,” after it cited media outlets he’s known to distrust.

What sources did Grok rely on?
It cited foundation websites and media outlets like The Atlantic and BBC as reputable sources.