- Elon Musk led a $97.400 billion bid to buy OpenAI, a company that created ChatGPT.
- Sam Altman turned down the proposal with an ironic message on X, a social network owned by Musk.
- The dispute between Musk and OpenAI stems from differences over the vision of the Artificial Intelligence and OpenAI’s transition into a for-profit company.
- Musk seeks to return OpenAI to its open source philosophy and could merge it with its own company IA, xAI.
Businessman Elon Musk, together with a group of investors, has submitted an offer of 97.400 million to acquire the artificial intelligence firm OpenAI, creator of the popular chatbot ChatGPT. As reported The Wall Street JournalThe proposal has been sent to the OpenAI board of directors via Musk's lawyer, Marc Toberoff.
This offer intensifies the dispute between Musk and the CEO of OpenAI, Sam altman, who have been at odds for several years. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, left the organization in 2018 due to strategic differences over its future.
Altman's rejection and Musk's response
Response Sam altman It didn't take long to arrive. On the social network X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Musk, Altman responded with a brief but forceful message: “No thanks, but we'll buy Twitter from you for $9.740 billion if you want.”His statement was in reference to the multi-billion dollar deal by which Musk acquired the social network in 2022 for 44.000 million.
Musk himself did not remain silent and counterattacked in a similar tone, calling Altman "swindler", which made it clear that the rivalry between the two businessmen is at its peak.
The origin of the conflict between Musk and OpenAI
The purchase offer is part of the long rivalry between Musk and OpenAI, which began when the company started shifting from its original nonprofit structure to a for-profit business model. Musk has been a vocal critic of this transition, arguing that OpenAI has become a Microsoft subsidiary and that its original mission has been distorted.
In 2024, Musk even filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman, alleging that the management team had steered the organization away from its original purpose, which was the development of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanityAccording to Musk, OpenAI is now focused on generating economic returns for its investors, which has led him to try to regain control of the company.
Musk's plans for OpenAI
According to sources close to the businessman, Musk seeks to return OpenAI to its initial philosophy of Open source and security-focused. To do this, it intends to merge it with its own artificial intelligence company, XAI, founded in 2023.
Musk's offer is backed by a consortium of investors that includes Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, Vy Capital and 8VC, among others. Ari Emanuel, CEO of the talent agency Endeavor, also supports the proposal through his investment fund.
OpenAI's response and future plans
OpenAI, which currently still operates as a non-profit organization, is in the midst of its transition process towards a commercial structureAccording to its executives, this change is essential to attract investments that will allow it to continue developing and improving its artificial intelligence models.
One of the most ambitious projects is the so-called Stargate, an artificial intelligence infrastructure plan that involves an investment of approximately 500.000 million and is supported by Microsoft, SoftBank, Oracle and MGXWithin this framework, OpenAI hopes to consolidate its position as the leader in the AI sector in the coming years.
In parallel, the company has been in talks for a funding round led by SoftBank, which could inject between 25.000 and 40.000 millions of dollars in the company. It is estimated that OpenAI could reach a valuation of up to 340.000 million dollars Following this investment, a figure significantly higher than the offer presented by Musk.
What will happen now?
With Altman's rejection, OpenAI's board of directors will have the final say on Musk's offer. However, given the company's current valuation and its long-term expansion plan, it is unlikely they will consider selling to the South African tycoon.
Meanwhile, the Tensions between Musk and OpenAI continue to rise, and could end up moving back to court. While the offer of 97.400 million It's impressive, the battle for the future of OpenAI seems far from resolved.
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