SpaceX’s acquisition of Cursor is already beginning to change the AI market. OpenAI wants to remove its models from the code editor from November 12. Anthropic is taking the opposite direction: Claude will remain available and will even benefit from more computing capacity. Cursor thus finds itself in the middle of the old battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman.
In brief
- OpenAI plans to retire its models from Cursor on November 12.
- Anthropic will keep Claude and promises more computing power.
- SpaceX bought Cursor’s parent company for $60 billion.
Cursor AI loses OpenAI after SpaceX takeover
SpaceX announced in June the purchase of Cursor for $60 billion. The all-stock transaction was completed on August 14. Two weeks later, OpenAI reacted. Sam Altman’s company has informed SpaceX of its intention to terminate the contract which allows Cursor to offer its models. The advanced date is November 12, 2026.
Cursor is not accused of violating the agreement. OpenAI instead looks at its new owner. The company explains that it does not have sufficient confidence in SpaceX’s ability to respect its conditions of use. She cites several past disputes with Elon Musk’s companies, including Twitter and xAI.
The contract with Cursor also contained a clause allowing an exit following a change of control. The acquisition by SpaceX opened this door. Michael Truell, co-founder of Cursor, is still continuing discussions with OpenAI. The breakup is therefore not completely complete. The calendar is already ticking.
Anthropic keeps Claude in Cursor
Anthropic didn’t wait long to take a stand. Tom Brown, co-founder and head of computing at Anthropic, confirmed that the Claude AI will continue to work in Cursor. He also promised more computing power to support the company’s models.
The two companies have been working together since Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI. Brown presents Cursor as a trusted partner. So no breakup.
Anthropic already has other ties to Musk’s ecosystem. SpaceX notably provides computing capacity to the group, despite the numerous tensions which have opposed Elon Musk and Anthropic in recent years.
Cursor thus becomes a new ground for their competition with OpenAI. The two AI laboratories are already competing on scientific research and several professional uses of AI. For developers, change is still limited.
Cursor integrates multiple model providers and does not rely solely on OpenAI. The company says the latter’s models account for about 5% of its current traffic.
Claude will remain available. SpaceXAI models too. The publisher had already started working with SpaceXAI on a model specifically intended for IT development. Cursor therefore has alternative solutions.
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