Musk’s $97.4 Billion Offer Denied: OpenAI ‘Not for Sale’

Elon Musk has made a bold move by submitting a $97.4 billion takeover bid for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Purportedly leading a group of investors, including prominent figures like Valor Equity Partners and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, Musk seeks to regain control of the company he co-founded in 2015. This comes after years of tension between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, particularly after Musk’s departure from the organization. The bid is said to be seen as a response to OpenAI’s shifting structure, especially as Altman pushes the company toward a for-profit model and raises funds for large-scale AI projects.

OpenAI’s Response: “Not for Sale”. In a firm rejection, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly stated that the company is "not for sale" during an interview at the AI Action Summit in Paris. Addressing Musk’s offer, Altman emphasized OpenAI's unique mission to create Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that benefits humanity. His stance further solidified when he joked on Musk's platform X, suggesting he could instead buy Twitter for $9.74 billion. This back-and-forth underscores the ongoing conflict between the two, as Altman has no intention of letting Musk reclaim control over the company.

Musk’s Vision for OpenAI’s Future. Musk’s team frames the takeover bid as a chance to refocus OpenAI on its original mission: open-source AI and safety. Musk has expressed concerns over the company’s departure from its nonprofit roots, aligning his bid with a push to restore OpenAI’s commitment to public good. Musk's own AI company, xAI, is said to be tied to the bid, with speculations of what would happen if any such acquisition succeeds. Musk has already highlighted his commitment to open-source values through his AI platform Grok, which is available on X, and he promises to bring these principles back to OpenAI.

The Future of OpenAI. The escalating tension between Musk and Altman signals a defining moment for OpenAI’s future direction. While Musk’s bid represents his desire to influence the company’s open-source AI vision, Altman is determined to continue OpenAI’s for-profit trajectory, which includes ambitious goals like raising $40 billion to expand its AI infrastructure. As both billionaires make their moves, the industry is left to watch how this conflict will shape the evolution of artificial intelligence.