According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk and the investor group are proposing a $97.4 billion offer to buy Openai, the artificial intelligence startup behind ChatGPT. The bid was submitted to the Open Board of Directors on Monday by Musk’s lawyer Mark Toberov.
The move slams the ongoing feud between Musk and Openai CEO Sam Altman, highlighting their contradictory vision for the company’s future.
“Now is the time for Openai to return to its once-safety-focused open source, safety-focused power,” Musk said in a statement provided by Toberoff. “We’ll make sure it happens.”
The bid is backed by Mask’s AI company Xai, and the Wall Street Journal reports that the merger between Xai and Openai could follow if the transaction was made.
“A consortium of investors led by Elon Musk offers $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit that controls Openai, increasing the stakes in the fight against Sam Altman behind ChatGpt,” WSJ reported.
Musk, who co-founded Openai with Altman in 2015, left the company before attracting widespread attention. In 2023 he launched Xai, a direct competitor in the AI space. Meanwhile, Openai is working on a move from a nonprofit to a for-profit model, and says this shift is needed to secure funding for advanced AI development.
Last year, Musk filed a lawsuit against Openai and Altman, claiming that the company had abandoned its nonprofit roots in favor of profits. According to Musk, the founder originally approached him and supported a nonprofit organization that had pledged to develop AI for the benefit of humanity.
In early 2024, Musk sued Open and CEO Sam Altman for “breach of contract” and abandoning the original mission. Then, in December, Musk requested a provisional injunction to halt Openai’s plans for restructuring. This legal manipulation targets Openai, Sam Altman, Microsoft and several former board members, alleging inappropriate handling of competitive information and violation of the company’s establishment non-commercial principles.
Meanwhile, Microsoft, a leading Openai supporter, has not responded to requests for comment. It remains unclear whether Openai will accept the offer.
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