OpenAI Board Dismisses Musk’s Bid
Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence company OpenAI, has informed employees that the company’s board has no intention of entertaining Elon Musk’s speculative bid to take control of the firm’s parent nonprofit organization.
A Clash of Titans in the AI Industry
According to media reports, a consortium led by tech billionaire Elon Musk—including his AI startup xAI and various investment firms—offered a staggering $97.4 billion to gain control of OpenAI. This bid marks the latest chapter in the ongoing rivalry between Musk and Altman, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but later clashed over the company’s direction.
Altman’s Sarcastic Response to Musk’s Offer
Altman publicly rejected Musk’s offer on X (formerly Twitter), responding with a simple “No thanks”—and then took a jab at Musk by adding that OpenAI would be willing to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion instead. In response, Musk mocked Altman by calling him “Scam Altman.”
Musk’s Long-Standing Criticism of OpenAI
Elon Musk has long criticized OpenAI, arguing that it has strayed from its original mission as an open-source, nonprofit AI research organization. After resigning from OpenAI’s board in 2018, Musk even filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of prioritizing profits over public interest.
According to Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, the Tesla CEO had contributed nearly $45 million to OpenAI before parting ways with the organization.
The Rise of ChatGPT and Internal Struggles
OpenAI’s global significance skyrocketed in 2022 following the success of ChatGPT, leading to increased internal conflicts. In late 2023, OpenAI’s board abruptly fired Altman, only to reinstate him later under a restructured leadership team.
AI’s Growing Political Influence
Since reclaiming his position, Altman has strengthened OpenAI’s partnerships and expanded its influence. In January, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a $500 billion infrastructure investment to accelerate AI development, a move backed by SoftBank, cloud giant Oracle, and OpenAI.
As the AI industry continues to evolve, the battle between tech titans like Altman and Musk underscores the growing power struggles shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
