Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, took a pointed jab at Elon Musk over artificial intelligence during remarks at the Semafor World Economy 2026 conference. The gaming executive suggested that if AI truly threatened employment, Musk ought to be the first casualty, not the last.
Zelnick's quip arrived in response to Musk's earlier claim that AI could generate a playable Grand Theft Auto 6 experience in minutes. The Tesla billionaire had responded "yeah" to a social media post proposing such a scenario in January, suggesting the technology could one day make custom games on demand.
"If AI were going to get rid of employment, the richest man on Earth, Elon Musk, knows a little something about AI," Zelnick said. He noted Musk's vast financial resources, unlimited workforce access, and deep familiarity with the technology. "If AI were going to take anyone's job, wouldn't it take his job?"
The Take-Two chief pressed the argument further, pointing to Musk's grueling work schedule and his own continued toil despite embracing AI tools across his business. "Why is he so busy? By the way, why am I working harder than ever despite the fact that I've totally accepted AI into every part of my life?" Zelnick asked.
Zelnick's defense of AI adoption strikes a notably different tone from his previous skepticism about Musk's specific claim regarding Grand Theft Auto. In March, the gaming executive called the idea that AI could generate quality video games "laughable," arguing that while the tools might help create individual assets, they couldn't produce hits. "These tools may help you create assets, but that won't help you create hits," he said at the time.
The underlying tension centers on whether generative AI will transform game development or merely become another tool in the creative arsenal. Rockstar Games has spent roughly six years developing GTA 6, which is scheduled to release November 19, 2026. The scale of that investment and effort underscores Zelnick's belief that game creation remains fundamentally a human challenge that algorithms cannot fully replicate.
Zelnick closed his remarks about Musk with a comedic flourish, joking that the billionaire could himself be a simulation. "In fairness, if you were going to choose a person who were a simulation, he would be my number one choice," he said as the audience laughed.
Throughout the conference discussion, Zelnick emphasized optimism about AI's potential as a tool for workers while rejecting what he called excessive "woe is me" framing about the technology's risks. He acknowledged AI can be misused but focused on its productivity benefits when properly deployed.
Author Emily Chen: "Zelnick's jab lands because it exposes the contradiction at the heart of AI hype: if the technology is truly unstoppable, why isn't it already crushing the guy with the most resources and the least sleep?"
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