Elon Musk is leading an investment group in a bid to acquire OpenAI for $97.4 billion. This ambitious offer comes as Musk expressed his dissatisfaction with the current course of the company, highlighting his desire to steer OpenAI back to its original mission with a focus on open-source development and safety.
In a pointed response on social media, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quipped that if Musk wanted to buy Twitter, the company could be acquired for $9.74 billion—a comment that underscored the ongoing tensions between the two figures. This remark followed Musk's earlier public criticism and legal actions stemming from concerns that OpenAI had strayed from its charitable objectives.
The dispute is not new, with Musk's grievances dating back to when he was involved in founding OpenAI in 2015. The friction between Musk and Altman has intensified recently, particularly as OpenAI is restructuring into a for-profit organization to better fund its mission to benefit humanity overall.
Furthermore, OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft—which has infused billions into the company and integrated its GPT-4 technology into various software programs—adds another layer to the unfolding narrative. Musk, conversely, emphasized the values of his own initiative at x.AI, underlining a commitment to open-source principles and respect for content creators.
The investor group behind the bid comprises several notable entities, including Musk's x.AI Corp., along with firms such as Baron Capital Group, Valor Management, Altreides Management, Vy Fund III, Emanuel Capital Management, and Eight Partners VC. According to a statement by their attorney, the investment funds would be dedicated exclusively to advancing OpenAI’s original charitable mission.