A group of investors led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk has submitted a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, in an attempt to restore the company’s original non-profit mission.
The proposal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, aims to purchase all of OpenAI’s assets and shift its focus back to its founding principles.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI alongside Sam Altman in 2015, left the company in 2019. Since then, tensions between the two have escalated into a legal dispute, particularly over OpenAI’s transition into a for-profit entity under Altman’s leadership.
Reacting to the takeover offer, Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, dismissed the bid on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “No, thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and rebranded it as X, responded by calling Altman a “swindler.”
In a video shared on his social media page, Musk accused Altman of profiting from an organization that was originally established as a non-profit, alleging that Altman had made billions from OpenAI despite previous claims that he was not seeking personal wealth.
“Apparently, he’s getting $10 billion in stock. I don’t trust him, and I don’t think we want the most powerful AI in the world controlled by someone who is not trustworthy,” Musk said.
Musk has consistently criticized OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model, arguing that it contradicts the company’s original mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity rather than financial gain.
