“Swindler”: Elon Musk’s Attempt to Acquire OpenAI for $97.4 Billion Met with Sharp Rebuttal from Sam Altman

Elon Musk has apparently made a bold move to acquire OpenAI, according to recent revelations, though it seems OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, has swiftly turned him down.

There’s been an ongoing, somewhat public rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Currently, Musk is in the midst of legal action against OpenAI, alleging that it has diverged from its initial non-profit, research-focused mission. Altman, with Microsoft’s backing, has steered the company towards a more profitable path. This shift has led to OpenAI being split into two distinct parts: a non-profit entity and a for-profit branch laden with hefty financial commitments to Microsoft and other investors. Notably, in its latest funding round, OpenAI was valued at a staggering $157 billion.

In today’s tech landscape, various companies are fiercely competing for dominance, with names like Google Gemini, Meta’s Llama, and Chinese competitors such as DeepSeek constantly stirring things up. Despite this, OpenAI continues to lead the pack, largely thanks to its connection with Microsoft Copilot, prominently featuring ChatGPT.

Elon Musk, with his xAI venture powered by the chatbot Grok, is aggressively aiming to take OpenAI’s top spot. His urgency isn’t surprising, given his past interactions with Sam Altman. Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI back in 2015, but departed following clashes with Tesla’s burgeoning AI agenda. Some within OpenAI’s legal circles suggest that Musk’s exit was actually due to his ambitions to wield more control over the company.

Following the popular adage often embraced by Microsoft, “if you can’t beat them organically, buy them,” Musk reportedly tried to do just that. The Wall Street Journal disclosed an unsolicited offer of $97.4 billion spearheaded by a group of unnamed investors led by Musk, aimed at acquiring OpenAI’s non-profit division. However, indications suggest Altman might have already declined the offer.

In a light-hearted exchange on X (formerly known as Twitter), Altman playfully countered by offering to purchase X for $9.74 billion, ending his post with a cheeky “no thanks.” Musk responded by calling Altman a “swindler.”

Musk’s opinions on Altman don’t end there. He’s also expressed skepticism about Altman’s hefty $500 billion initiative dubbed “Stargate.” Supported by Trump, Stargate envisions OpenAI spearheading the development of an enormous server array to fuel future AI advancements. Trump’s backing of Altman and OpenAI raised eyebrows, especially given Musk’s reputed closeness to the current U.S. administration.

In a recent statement, Trump lauded the Stargate project, describing it as a testament to America’s vast potential. Dismissing speculation about the Musk-Altman showdown, Trump casually remarked, “[Musk] despises someone involved,” likely pointing to Altman.

The fiery competition heating up the AI sector is propelling innovation at a dizzying speed. Recently, DeepSeek from China substantially impacted AI market values with its claims of replicating ChatGPT’s capabilities for a fraction of the cost. Nonetheless, OpenAI seems to have struck back with its Deep Research project, continuing its push towards next-generation AGI technologies, which promise to enhance AI’s capability to comprehend context rather than merely replicate it.