OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:14 PM – Monday, February 10, 2025
A group of investors led by tech mogul-turned-DOGE leader Elon Musk have submitted a $97.4 billion offer to purchase OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.
Musk previously founded OpenAI with Sam Altman back in 2015, before stepping away in 2019. Musk reportedly disagreed with the leadership in regard to the company’s future direction and control, especially as it shifted towards a more for-profit model. There was also potential conflicts of interest with Musk’s role at Tesla, which had already been developing AI technologies for self-driving cars.
Meanwhile, Musk has continued to criticize Altman for shifting the company to become more of a for-profit model, accusing Altman of betraying the company’s open-source, non-profit foundation and original mission.
“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk declared. “We will make sure that happens.”
Altman’s plans to alter the company’s “vision” in running a more for-profit model has even prompted Musk to file lawsuits — accusing OpenAI of colluding with Microsoft to essentially monopolize AI development.
Musk also recently blasted President Donald Trump’s $500 billion Open-AI infrastructure project collaboration, the Stargate Initiative, arguing that the investors involved do not have the funding to sustain the project.
Stargate would be spearheaded by tech giants such as OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle — as the largest AI infrastructure project in history. The project intends to keep America’s technological advantage over rivals, particularly China, and avoid the U.S. becoming dependent on foreign AI infrastructure.
Trump says that he wants to use the nation’s vast energy reserves to drive economic expansion, particularly in sectors where the U.S. is vying for global dominance. In terms of national security applications, the infrastructure will offer essential features like AI-powered monitoring, autonomous defense systems, and improved cybersecurity.
Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to Musk’s offer by firmly rejecting it in an X post, writing: “no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
If Musk successfully acquires the company, despite Altman’s initial hesitation, his current AI venture “xAI” could potentially merge with Altman’s OpenAI.
Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, noted that Musk’s investor group is prepared to match or exceed any higher bids made for the company — which is currently valued at around $157 billion.
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