Google Co-founder Larry Page Considered Leaving Wealth to Musk to Support Mars Plan
In 2014, Google co-founder Larry Page stated in an interview with Charlie Rose at the TED conference that he would prefer to leave his wealth to Elon Musk rather than to charities if he were to pass away, as Musk's goal of advancing human colonization of Mars as a backup for civilization is a worthy cause, and the company itself can also have a charitable nature.
At that time, the two had a close relationship. Page noted that most companies only make incremental changes, while technology requires revolutionary breakthroughs. This statement was reported by several media outlets, and Musk's side responded with surprise.
Subsequently, the two became completely estranged due to differences over AI risks. Musk claimed that Page believed it would be acceptable even if AI exterminated humanity, as long as intelligence persisted, and labeled him a "speciesist" for caring more about humanity. Musk stated that this was one of the direct reasons for founding OpenAI.
After Musk recruited AI scientist Ilya Sutskever from Google to join OpenAI, Page refused to have further contact with him. Musk has repeatedly mentioned this in public forums and in legal testimony, stating that he provided early funding, talent, and direction.
In 2007, Page predicted in an internal Google speech that the true arrival of AI would depend on massive computing rather than sophisticated algorithms. He pointed out that human DNA, when compressed, is about 600MB, smaller than Linux or Windows, yet sufficient to start the entire brain, indicating that the underlying instructions are simple, with the key being the scale of computation.
This view aligns with the subsequent path of deep learning advancing through computing power and data scale. The relationship between the two shifted from jointly supporting a grand goal to opposing each other due to differing priorities on safety, affecting the organizational structure and talent flow in AI.
In market mechanisms, capital and talent are concentrated in projects with different AI safety positions. The side supporting rapid advancement of superintelligence gains resources from the Google system, while those concerned about extinction risks divert top researchers through organizations like OpenAI. The divergence drives competition and safety discussions, while also exacerbating the path differentiation of top talent and funding.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
In 2014, Larry Page publicly expressed his willingness to direct wealth towards Musk's Mars plan, viewing it as a civilization-level backup. Around the same time, tensions arose between the two due to the acquisition of DeepMind and AI safety issues. After Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 and recruited Sutskever, Page, according to Musk, completely severed ties. Musk mentioned Page again in the 2026 OpenAI-related lawsuit, referring to him as a speciesist.
In terms of capital pathways, Page focuses on achieving long-term goals through corporate forms, while Musk establishes a counterbalancing force starting with non-profit and then shifting to commercialization. Talent flows from Google Brain to OpenAI, with funding and computing resources following suit. Page emphasized the scale of computation in his early years, aligning with Google's subsequent investments in TPU and data centers.
This resembles early internet founders diverging due to growth and safety priority differences, or the opposing camps in nuclear technology development advocating for acceleration versus regulation. We are currently in a phase where AI is transitioning from research to large-scale deployment and safety governance.
Essentially, this is a path choice under technological substitution. Superintelligence may reshape humanity's status, and different founders have varying judgments on "who should survive first," leading to the reallocation of organizations, funding, and talent based on safety attitudes. The mechanism lies in the belief differences directly translating into resource flows, rather than mere commercial competition.
ABAB News · Cognitive Laws
- The greater the goal, the earlier the divergence becomes opposition.
- Poaching core talent equals severing old relationships.
- The scale of computation determines the upper limit; algorithms are just details.