OpenAI gives major shock to xAI amid Musk-Altman rivalry

Open AI has appointed Mike Liberatore, the former chief financial officer of Elon Musk’s xAI, as its new business finance officer tasked with managing the company’s massive artificial intelligence infrastructure investments.

Liberatore begins Tuesday, September 16, 2025 reporting to CFO Sarah Friar and will join company's president Greg Brockman’s team.

The key hiring marks the latest development in the escalating rivalry between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Musk, who co-founded OpenAI as a nonprofit in 2015 but now leads competing AI ventures.

Liberatore departed xAI in July, 2025 after just three months of joining, during which he helped arrange a $5 billion debt sale and $5 billion equity raise backed by SpaceX while approving major data center expansions.

Technology executive brings nearly nine years of experience from Airbnb plus senior finance roles at SquareTrade, eBay, and PayPal.

Seasoned financial expert appointment comes as OpenAI advances its restructuring into a for-profit entity valued at $500 billion, with recent compute commitments including a $300 billion Oracle deal and a nonprofit parent equity stake exceeding $100 billion.

Liberatore's transition between the rival companies underscores the fluidity of executive movement within the concentrated AI industry.