Elon Musk has made a bold move with a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI. According to The Wall Street Journal, a consortium of investors led by Musk’s xAI made an unsolicited offer to the board of directors of OpenAI. The group is interested in purchasing the nonprofit organization that oversees OpenAI’s for-profit division.
OpenAI was prompted for a response, and an OpenAI spokesperson directed attention to a tweet from CEO Sam Altman on Musk’s platform, X. Altman jokingly mentioned, “No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
In a statement shared with The Journal by Musk’s attorney, the billionaire expressed his desire for OpenAI to return to its roots as an open-source, safety-focused entity. Musk stated, “It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was. We will make sure that happens.”
The seriousness and feasibility of Musk’s bid remain uncertain. OpenAI’s unique nonprofit structure may provide a level of protection against an acquisition. If OpenAI were structured as a traditional for-profit entity, Musk’s offer could trigger a “Revlon moment,” compelling the board of directors to sell to maximize shareholder profits.
Musk did not take kindly to Altman’s jest, responding with “Swindler” and later referring to him as “Scam Altman.”
This article was originally published on Engadget at [link to article] and discusses Elon Musk’s interest in acquiring OpenAI for $97.4 billion.
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