Musk warned those involved that President Trump wouldn’t bless the OpenAI data-center project in Abu Dhabi unless his xAI company was included in the deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

Elon Musk has left the building—the White House, that is. President Donald Trump gave Musk a farewell press conference today, complete with a golden key (literally), marking the end of Musk’s formal time overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX, reportedly lobbied the Trump administration to include his AI startup, xAI, in a deal with Sam Altman's OpenAI to build a massive AI data center in Abu Dhabi.

Musk announced his departure a day after an interview clip showed him saying Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill “undermines” DOGE.

xAI has come under scrutiny in recent months for operating methane gas turbines at its Memphis facility to meet the electricity needs of the supercomputer Colossus. The turbines emit pollutants, including nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde, according to their manufacturer.

Yesterday (May 28), Tesla chair Robyn Denholm received a letter signed by 12 major pension funds that collectively hold significant stakes in the company. As first reported by the Financial Times, the letter calls on Musk to commit to working at least 40 hours per week at Tesla.

PLUS: BlueSky's Jay Graber says decentralization has a place in her growing social network, but not blockchain or crypto. Trump administration goes to court over trade dispute.