On February 10, 2025, Elon Musk made an unwelcome offer of $97.4 billion to a group of investors to purchase the nonprofit organization responsible for OpenAI. Musk proposes to restore OpenAI to its initial open-source, safety-oriented AI research objective.
Sam Altman’s Response
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman turned down Musk’s offer right away. Referring to Musk’s 2022 acquisition of X (previously Twitter), Altman said in a post, “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” Musk answered by likening Altman to a “swindler.”
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no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 10, 2025
Background of the Musk-Altman Feud
In 2015, Elon Musk and Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI as a charity aiming at promoting artificial intelligence for the good of mankind. But in 201,8, Musk broke from the board of the corporation because of differences in its future. Since then, he has been critical of OpenAI’s turn towards a for-profit business model and tight links to corporate companies like Microsoft.
Legal Actions and Ongoing Disputes
Musk sued OpenAI in 2024, arguing that the business had deviated from its intended charitable goal and broken the conditions of his first investment. As Musk wants to block OpenAI from expanding commercially, the legal battle has become increasingly fierce. With his most recent $97.4 billion offer, Musk is demonstrating direction control.
Implications for OpenAI’s Future
Particularly with ChatGPT, their artificial intelligence chatbot, OpenAI, has witnessed significant growth, especially as it proved effective. The firm is presently in the process of switching to a for-profit model to generate the funds required for the next artificial intelligence technical innovations. It has also drawn rather significant cash pledges.
Musk’s offer and the later public argument with Sam Altman highlight the broader general discussion on the commercialization of artificial intelligence and the need to preserve fundamental values in its evolution.
The continuous battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman draws attention to the moral issues and difficulties in the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence.