SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2026 | OpenAI plans to stop providing its artificial intelligence models to coding platform Cursor after the company was acquired by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, escalating the long-running dispute between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI said it triggered a contractual provision allowing it to end the relationship following Cursor’s change in ownership. The company also cited concerns involving potential misuse of its technology and previous contractual disputes connected to Musk-controlled companies.
Cursor, developed by Anysphere, has become one of the most popular AI-powered coding tools, helping developers generate, edit and understand software using large language models from providers including OpenAI and Anthropic.
SpaceX completed its roughly $60 billion acquisition of Anysphere earlier this month, bringing Cursor under Musk’s growing technology portfolio. OpenAI’s model access is currently expected to end on November 12, 2026.
Cursor CEO Michael Truell indicated that discussions with OpenAI are continuing, suggesting the companies may still reach an agreement before access is terminated.
Meanwhile, OpenAI rival Anthropic said it plans to increase support for its Claude models inside Cursor, potentially giving the platform another option if OpenAI follows through with the cutoff.
The development adds another chapter to the increasingly public conflict between Musk and OpenAI. Musk helped establish OpenAI before later separating from the organization and has repeatedly criticized its leadership and business direction.
The dispute also highlights a broader risk for AI software companies that depend heavily on third-party models. Changes in ownership, commercial relationships or competitive interests can directly affect which AI technologies remain available inside their products.
For Cursor users, the immediate impact may be limited while OpenAI models remain accessible. However, if the partnership ends in November, Cursor may need to rely more heavily on competing AI providers.
