Elon Musk calls out OpenAI CEO for mocking $97.4 billion takeover bid – Firstpost

Elon Musk clearly didn’t take Sam Altman rebuffing his takeover bid and mocking him with a proposal to purchase Twitter for 9.74 billion properly.

On Monday, a bunch of traders led by Elon Musk made a $97.4 billion provide to amass management of OpenAI’s nonprofit arm. The bid, revealed by The Wall Road Journal, provides gasoline to Musk’s ongoing authorized battle with the AI firm. Musk has accused OpenAI of abandoning its authentic mission of transparency and honest competitors in favour of profit-making.

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, nevertheless, has expressed little interest in entertaining the provide. This enraged Musk who resorted to what he does greatest — flip into an web troll.

A Conflict of Phrases on X

The takeover bid shortly sparked a public spat between Musk and Altman on X, previously often known as Twitter and now owned by Musk himself. Altman dismissed Musk’s provide with a sarcastic comment, suggesting he’d reasonably purchase X for $9.74 billion.  

Musk retorted by calling Altman a “swindler.”  

In true Musk style, he later posted a clip of Altman’s US Senate listening to from Might 2023, the place Altman claimed he held no fairness in OpenAI and was pushed solely by goodwill. Musk captioned the put up with a pointy jab: “Rip-off Altman.”

Rip-off Altman
pic.twitter.com/j9EXIqBZ8u

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025

Altman reportedly addressed the scenario internally, telling OpenAI workers that these ways have been geared toward weakening the organisation due to its progress. He emphasised that OpenAI’s construction prevented any single entity from taking management.

A Historical past of Tensions Between Musk and OpenAI

Musk and Altman’s strained relationship has deep roots. They co-founded OpenAI in 2015 to problem Google’s rising dominance in AI analysis. Initially structured as a nonprofit, OpenAI aimed to make sure secure and democratic entry to synthetic intelligence.

Nevertheless, Musk departed the organisation following inner disagreements over its course, leaving Altman on the helm.

By 2019, OpenAI had arrange a hybrid construction that allowed it to draw main investments from corporations like Microsoft. This shift enabled the event of AI merchandise like ChatGPT but additionally sparked criticism from Musk, who has accused OpenAI of betraying its founding ideas. Musk has filed a number of lawsuits in opposition to OpenAI, claiming it’s trying to monopolise the AI market with Microsoft’s backing. He additionally alleges that each corporations have pressured traders to not help competing AI ventures like his xAI.

Altman’s Transient Ouster and OpenAI’s Board Shakeup

The rivalry between Musk and OpenAI took a dramatic flip in late 2023 when the corporate’s board quickly ousted Sam Altman. OpenAI introduced {that a} evaluate had discovered Altman was not totally clear in his dealings with the board. Nevertheless, the choice sparked a backlash, resulting in Altman’s reinstatement simply 5 days later. The organisation additionally restructured its board of administrators to forestall a repeat of the incident.

Whereas Musk’s newest provide has grabbed headlines, trade observers are sceptical about whether or not OpenAI will even think about it. The nonprofit holds important management over the for-profit facet of the corporate, which complicates any takeover try. Moreover, Musk’s historical past with OpenAI and his ongoing authorized disputes are prone to additional pressure any potential negotiations.

For now, Musk’s try to achieve management of OpenAI has grow to be one other chapter within the lengthy and bitter rivalry between the 2 tech leaders. How this high-stakes energy wrestle performs out stays to be seen, however it’s clear that neither Musk nor Altman is keen to again down anytime quickly.