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In a month when he’s already dominating world headlines, Elon Musk proposed a $97.4 billion bid to acquire control of artificial intelligence research company OpenAI. Reported by The Wall Street Journal, Musk and a consortium of investors want to steer the company back to its foundational mission of developing AI in a safe and transparent manner.
Back to basics: OpenAI’s nonprofit roots
Musk was one of the cofounders of OpenAI, best known for its revolutionary AI chatbot ChatGPT. He left the organization in 2019, blaming strategic disagreements with CEO Sam Altman. He’s remained an outspoken critic of OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit model and its deepening partnership with Microsoft and has been vocal about his belief that these moves deviate from the company’s original mission.
The proposed acquisition is backed by prominent venture capital firms and Musk’s own AI company, xAI, which created the Grok chatbot to compete with ChatGPT. The consortium’s stated objective is to realign OpenAI with its initial vision of open-source research and broad accessibility of AI technologies.
Altman comes out swinging
In response to the bid, Altman dismissed the offer and joked that OpenAI should instead consider purchasing Twitter for $9.74 billion, a nod to Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform — now called X — for considerably more money. Altman has led OpenAI’s transformation into a for-profit entity, arguing that this structure is necessary to attract the substantial capital required for advanced AI research.
He has also announced ambitious projects, including collaborating with President Trump and the U.S. government on the $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure initiative aimed at bolstering the country’s AI capabilities. Musk mocked that initiative publicly, claiming that Altman and the other partners did not have sufficient funding.
Musk’s bid is the latest development in an ongoing beef between the two tech titans. He has previously filed lawsuits alleging OpenAI deviated from its original mission and breached agreements. OpenAI has countered these claims and said Musk’s actions would undermine the organization to benefit his own AI ventures.
Industry observers are monitoring the effect of this ongoing power struggle on the trajectory of AI research and its applications. The outcome could have far-reaching implications — not only for OpenAI but for the broader AI landscape — influencing how future technologies are developed, funded, and governed.
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