Elon Musk, investors bid $100bn to buy ChatGPT maker OpenAI
A group of investors led by Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has made an offer of $97.4 billion to acquire OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. The intention behind this bid is to realign OpenAI with its original non-profit mission. The Wall Street Journal initially reported this move on Monday, stating that the offer is aimed at acquiring all of OpenAI's assets and steering the organization back towards its founding principles.
Background of the Offer
OpenAI was co-founded by Elon Musk and Sam Altman in 2015 with a non-profit structure. However, Musk departed from the organization in 2019. Since then, tensions between Musk and Altman have escalated, primarily due to OpenAI's shift towards becoming a for-profit entity under Altman's leadership.
Musk's Concerns
Elon Musk expressed his opposition to the evolution of OpenAI in a video shared on his social media platform. He criticized Altman for allegedly profiting from a venture that was originally intended to operate as a non-profit organization. Musk raised doubts about Altman's trustworthiness, citing concerns about the individual in charge of controlling one of the most influential AI technologies in the world.
In response to the takeover proposal, Altman, who currently serves as OpenAI's CEO, declined the offer in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he humorously suggested Musk to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion instead. Musk, who had acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion and rebranded it as X, reacted by referring to Altman as a "swindler."
For years, Musk has been vocal about his disapproval of OpenAI's transition to a for-profit model. He believes that the organization's current direction deviates from its initial vision of promoting an open and ethical approach to artificial intelligence.
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