'Trump likes you': OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla and Elon Musk spar over next US president

Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla and Tesla CEO Elon Musk found themselves in a heated debate after President Joe Biden's unexpected withdrawal from the US presidential elections and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.

Khosla, a prominent OpenAI investor and staunch Democratic donor, voiced his concern over Harris's candidacy. Advocating for a more moderate alternative, he proposed Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as potential nominees. 

"America needs a president who isn't polarized to the far-right or excessively woke," Khosla tweeted, urging for an open convention.

Elon Musk, who recently threw his support behind Donald Trump, countered by promoting a Trump/Vance ticket. "Come on, Vinod. Trump/Vance LFG!!" he tweeted. Khosla, however, stood firm, condemning Trump’s personal values and policies. 

"It's hard for me to support someone who lacks integrity and promotes divisive policies," Khosla retorted, highlighting Trump's detrimental impact on climate policy and his controversial personal conduct.

Khosla rejected Musk's suggestion, citing Trump's personal values and policies as reasons for his opposition. "Hard for me to support someone with no values, lies, cheats, rapes, demeans women, hates immigrants like me,” he replied.

“He may cut my taxes or reduce some regulation but that is no reason to accept depravity in his personal values. Do you want President who will set back climate by a decade in his first year? Do you want his example for your kids as values?" Khosla said.

Musk countered by saying that Trump does not hate Khosla and that his administration would promote meritocracy and individual freedoms.

"He doesn’t hate you. In fact, I think he likes you. Meet him and find out for yourself. How many times have you read something in the media where you know the real story, but what they printed was diabolically false? Well, it’s way worse in politics, which is a blood sport," the X boss said.

Acknowledging that Trump is not "without flaws", Musk asserted that America needs "an administration that is more likely to be meritocratic and promote individual freedoms over the heavy hand of government. Many years ago, that was the Democratic Party, but now the pendulum has swung to the Republican Party".

Khosla responded by agreeing on the importance of meritocracy and individual freedoms but expressed concerns about Trump's stance on climate change and his potential impact on American leadership and moral authority.

"Agree on not trusting media. Agree on meritocratic and promote individual freedoms. But abandon climate and 'drill baby drill'? Be MAGA and abandon NATO and American leadership and moral authority? I was a socially liberal registered fiscal Republican till climate made me switch to Independent (sic)," he said.