Sam Altman Rejects Musk’s $97.4 Billion Offer With a Witty Response
Altman, in turn, has questioned Musk’s motives, pointing to his ownership of xAI, a competing AI venture.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has turned down a $97.4 billion acquisition offer from a consortium led by Elon Musk.
The rejection came with a humorous twist, highlighting the ongoing tension between the two tech moguls.
Speaking at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Altman reaffirmed OpenAI’s mission, stating, “We are not for sale.” He emphasized the company’s dedication to ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) serves humanity’s best interests.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI but later distanced himself, has expressed a desire to revert the company to its nonprofit origins. His lawyer, Marc Toberoff, confirmed the bid submission. However, Altman was quick to respond on Musk’s social media platform X, cheekily posting, “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
OpenAI operates under a hybrid nonprofit-for-profit model, a structure Musk has criticized.
Altman, in turn, has questioned Musk’s motives, pointing to his ownership of xAI, a competing AI venture.
He suggested that Musk’s acquisition attempt stemmed from an inability to surpass OpenAI’s advancements in the field.
While OpenAI’s leadership envisions transforming the organization into a fully for-profit entity to accelerate AI research, the company’s board will ultimately determine its future.
Musk’s $97.4 billion bid falls significantly below OpenAI’s last valuation of $157 billion, with recent estimates suggesting a potential worth of $300 billion.
Reports indicate that Musk’s group may increase their offer in hopes of acquiring OpenAI’s cutting-edge technology for further development.