The rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, both of whom played crucial roles in OpenAI’s origins, has reached new heights after Musk led a $97.4 billion bid to take control of OpenAI (via The Wall Street Journal).
On Monday, Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, formally submitted the unsolicited bid to OpenAI’s board, proposing to acquire all assets of the nonprofit that governs OpenAI. The billionaire, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left in 2018, has been vocal about his belief that the organization has drifted from its original mission.
“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk stated through Toberoff. Altman wasted no time dismissing the offer, taking a jab at Musk via a post on X (formerly Twitter):
no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama)
“No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” The comment, which reduced Musk’s bid amount by a decimal point and referenced Musk’s controversial $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, highlighted the deep animosity between the two.
Musk and Altman were once allies, launching OpenAI with the shared vision of advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. However, their relationship soured when OpenAI transitioned into a for-profit entity in 2019, a move Musk opposed.
Musk, now leading his own AI company, xAI, has repeatedly criticized OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft, arguing that the company has strayed too far from its nonprofit roots. His lawsuit against OpenAI alleges that it has betrayed its mission by prioritizing profits and corporate interests.
Altman, on the other hand, has pushed forward with his ambitious plans, including a project called Stargate, which aims to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure. Musk has publicly ridiculed the initiative, calling Altman a “swindler” and questioning whether the promised funding actually exists.
Musk’s bid, backed by a consortium of investors including Valor Equity Partners and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, raises serious questions about OpenAI’s future. If accepted, it could drastically alter the company’s trajectory, potentially merging it with Musk’s xAI.
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I'm sure Altman has 150Bn in the back pocket to turn Openai from nonprofit to a profit company….he would need to create a Corp that buys the assets of the nonprofit…
"no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want"
Hoooo I love that one! https://media4.giphy.com/media/wj8VEUZVVEuls6pOw7/giphy-downsized-small.mp4