- 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.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk , along with a group of investors, has submitted a $97.400 billion offer to acquire the artificial intelligence firm OpenAI , creator of the popular chatbot ChatGPT . According to The Wall Street Journal , the proposal was sent to OpenAI's board of directors through Musk's lawyer, Marc Toberoff.
This offer intensifies the dispute between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman , who have had disagreements for several years. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, left the organization in 2018 due to strategic differences regarding its future.
Altman's rejection and Musk's response
Sam Altman 's response was swift. On the social network X , formerly known as Twitter and owned by Musk, Altman replied with a brief but forceful message: "No thanks, but we'll buy Twitter from you for $9.740 billion if you want ." His statement alluded to the multi-billion dollar deal through which Musk acquired the social network in 2022 for $44.000 billion.
Musk himself did not remain silent and counterattacked in a similar tone, calling Altman a "con man," which made it clear that the rivalry between the two entrepreneurs is at its peak.
The origin of the conflict between Musk and OpenAI
The takeover bid is part of the long-standing rivalry between Musk and OpenAI , which began when the company started shifting from its original non-profit structure to a for-profit business model. Musk has been a vocal critic of this transition, arguing that OpenAI has become a subsidiary of Microsoft 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 diverted the organization from its original purpose, which was the development of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity . According to Musk, OpenAI is now focused on generating profits 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 entrepreneur, Musk seeks to return OpenAI to its original open-source, security-focused philosophy . To achieve this, he intends to merge it with his own artificial intelligence company, xAI , founded in 2023.
Musk's offer is backed by a consortium of investors including 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 operates as a non-profit organization, is in the midst of transitioning to a for-profit structure . According to its executives, this change is essential to attracting investment that will allow it to continue developing and refining its artificial intelligence models.
One of the most ambitious projects is Stargate , an artificial intelligence infrastructure plan involving an investment of approximately $500.000 billion and backed by Microsoft, SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX . Within this framework, OpenAI hopes to solidify its position as the leader in the AI sector in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the company has been in talks for a funding round led by SoftBank, which could inject between $25.000 billion and $40.000 billion into the company. It is estimated that OpenAI could reach a valuation of up to $340.000 billion after this investment, a figure significantly higher than Musk's offer.
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, tensions between Musk and OpenAI continue to escalate and could end up in court once again. While the $97.400 billion offer is impressive, the battle for OpenAI's future appears far from over.
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