Elon Musk's Grok 4.20 Beats OpenAI, Google Models In Live Stock Trading Contest - xAI CEO Jokes About Paying For GPUs

Elon Musk's xAI has scored an early win for real-world AI monetization after its Grok 4.20 model outperformed rivals from OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google in a live stock trading competition.

Grok 4.20 Tops Alpha Arena Live Trading Leaderboard

Grok 4.20, an artificial intelligence model developed byMusk-led xAI, emerged as the top performer in Alpha Arena Season 1.5, a competition that pits AI models against each other in live stock trading using the same starting capital.

According to a post on X by the account X Freeze, the model—previously listed as a "mystery model"—finished with roughly $11,060 in equity from a $10,000 start, translating to a 10%–12% aggregate return.

The leaderboard screenshot shared alongside the post shows Grok variants occupying four of the top six spots.

Only AI Model To Post Profits

Notably, Grok 4.20 was reportedly the only model to end the competition in profit, outperforming entries from OpenAI, Google and other major AI developers.

The results were achieved using multiple configurations of the same model, including Situational Awareness, New Baseline, Max Leverage and Monk Mode, suggesting the performance was not limited to a single trading strategy.

"Grok 4.20 isn't just doing well on benchmarks," the post said. "It's making real money in live markets."

Elon Musk Signals Commercial Potential

Musk amplified the post, commenting, "Ok, I think I see a way to pay for all those GPUs."

The remark underscores growing interest in whether advanced AI systems can generate revenue directly, particularly as companies invest billions of dollars in expensive computing infrastructure.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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