Elon Musk Bids $97.4 Billion for OpenAI - Latest News

Elon Musk’s $97.6 Billion Bid for OpenAI

A group of investors, spearheaded by Elon Musk, has made an offer to acquire OpenAI for $97.6 billion. This development was communicated through Marc Toberoff, Musk’s legal counsel, who verified the information with The Wall Street Journal.

This unsolicited offer represents a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Musk and OpenAI’s co-founder, Sam Altman. Both individuals were instrumental in establishing OpenAI in 2015, alongside other founding members.

Existing Legal Dispute

Musk is currently involved in a legal challenge against OpenAI, having filed an injunction in 2024. This injunction pertains to OpenAI’s efforts to shift away from its original nonprofit structure.

The team backing Musk’s bid intends to steer OpenAI back towards its initial principles of developing open source AI, prioritizing safety and beneficial applications.

Musk’s Vision for OpenAI

“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk stated to The Journal, as relayed by Toberoff. “We will make sure that happens.”

xAI, Musk’s own artificial intelligence company, is participating in the acquisition attempt. This has fueled speculation about a potential merger between xAI and OpenAI should the bid succeed.

Highlighting Grok and Open Source Values

Musk specifically referenced X’s Grok model in a statement given to TechCrunch. “At x.AI, we live by the values I was promised OpenAI would follow,” he explained.

He further emphasized, “We’ve made Grok open source, and we respect the rights of content creators.” Musk reiterated his commitment to restoring OpenAI’s original focus on open-source, safe AI development.

Altman’s Response

Sam Altman responded to Musk’s offer with a post on X, stating, “no thank you but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

This response alludes to Musk’s and his investors’ $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022.

TechCrunch has contacted OpenAI for additional commentary regarding the bid.