Elon Musk’s Controversial Pursuit of OpenAI
Elon Musk is viewed through a diverse lens: some admire his brilliance, while others regard him as an adept businessman and strategist. Yet, there’s a significant portion of the populace that has revised their perspective on him due to his polarizing political remarks and support for various right-wing individuals and parties globally. Currently, the visionary behind X, Tesla, and SpaceX is on a quest for even more authority—this time aiming to reacquire a familiar entity: OpenAI.
Musk’s Ambitious Proposal for OpenAI
Recent reports indicate that the technology mogul, along with several investors, aims to purchase OpenAI. This consortium has proposed an astonishing $100 billion for the artificial intelligence firm. While this figure may seem outrageous to most people, Sam Altman—CEO of OpenAI—offers a different perspective. In a post on X, he highlighted that the $97 billion offer constitutes merely one-third of what the company is currently valued at.
A Humorous Rebuttal
The initial response to Musk’s proposal was teeming with sarcasm. Altman jokingly remarked on X: “Thanks but we’ll take Twitter off your hands for just $9.74 billion if you’re interested,” referring humorously to approximately one-third of Twitter’s estimated valuation. According to TechCrunch and data from the Financial Times, in its previous funding phase in October 2023, OpenAI had reached an impressive valuation of $157 billion.
no thank you but we will openai/” title=”Elon Musk's Ambitious Bid: A Striking .4 Billion Offer to Acquire OpenAI!”>buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 10, 2025
The Backstory Behind this Ambition
The rivalry between Musk and Altman spans several years. Initially supportive of OpenAI’s mission—having contributed $50 million during its inception fund—Musk departed from the organization in 2018 prior to its groundbreaking achievement with ChatGPT; his exit was marked by considerable tension.
A key source of discord centers around OpenAI’s evolution over time; originally founded as a nonprofit devoted solely to AI research in 2015, it transitioned into a profit-oriented subsidiary known as OpenAI LP in 2019. This fundamental shift led them towards proprietary advancements rather than adhering strictly to their original open-source ethos—a change Musk has publicly criticized as detrimental competition.
Musk has been undertaking legal measures against OpenAI since last year due mainly to this financial pivot away from openness focused primarily on safety protocols within AI development: “It’s imperative that we guide OpenAI back towards being an open-source entity prioritizing safety,” he stated according to sources including The Wall Street Journal.
The Viability of Acquisition
In light of leaving Post-OpenAI ventures like xAImusks’ pursuit raises inquiries about possible fusion within both entities should acquisition succeed come into play instead focusing present feasibility lacks favorable outcomes primarily resulting from significant investments made by Microsoft;
“Given they own 49% stake alongside having contributed billions worth capital creates substantial blockages toward any ambition aimed at overtaking them.” p >
< p >At present stage appears recreational rather than concrete aspirations–with important interests already posed precede possibility execution reality going forward timeframe remains uncertain overall.< / p >