Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has suggested that Elon Musk might want to watch out for artificial intelligence taking his job after the Tesla boss proposed that Grand Theft Auto 6 could be generated by AI.
The gaming bigwig, who oversees major subsidiaries within Take-Two like 2K and Rockstar Games, shared his insight into the rapid advancements in technology during a conversation at Semafor World Economy 2026. It was a quick conversation that touched on a number of topics, but it was the issue of AI that probably received the most attention.
After saying he feels “people spend too much time talking about the ‘woe is me’ risk” related to the tech despite the fact that it “can be used for evil purposes,” Zelnick brought up Musk and his relationship to AI, unprompted. While Zelnick is optimistic about how AI can be used as a tool for the average worker, he isn’t so sure the billionaire X/Twitter owner’s job is quite as safe.
“If AI were going to get rid of employment, the richest man on Earth, Elon Musk, knows a little something about AI, last time I checked,” the Take-Two head said. “He has unlimited financial resources, and he has unlimited human resources, and he has, apparently, an unlimited number of ideas. He knows his way around AI.
“The man works 20 hours a day. If AI were going to take anyone’s job, wouldn’t it take his job? The richest guy on Earth, wouldn’t that be job number one for AI to take? 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’s comments follow an exchange that happened on Musk’s social media platform earlier this year, where he said, “yeah,” in response to a post that said, “there is definitely a non-zero chance we get ‘generate your own GTA 6 in a few minutes’ before GTA 6.” Rockstar’s latest Grand Theft Auto game, which has been in development for around six years and is poised to be one of the biggest video game launches ever, is currently set with a release date of November 19, 2026.
You won’t even have to ask. AI will figure what video game you’d like best.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 14, 2026
Zelnick previously offered a more indirect response to Musk in March, saying at the time that the idea AI could generate quality video games “laughable.” He added at the time, “These tools may help you create assets, but that won’t help you create hits.”
Zelnick’s thoughts on Musk and his relationship with AI came to an end with a joke about how the Tesla billionaire could be “a simulation.” As the audience laughed, he said, “In fairness, if you were going to choose a person who were a simulation, he would be my number one choice.”
GTA 6 is currently expected to launch later this year. While we wait, you can read about the fake Grand Theft Auto leaks that started gaining traction on social media late last year.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
