The bid comes at a critical moment for OpenAI, which is in the process of securing a massive $40 billion funding deal led by Japanese tech giant SoftBank. If finalized, the funding round would push OpenAI’s valuation to an estimated $300 billion—a dramatic increase from just four months ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took a sharp jab at Elon Musk on Tuesday, dismissing the billionaire’s reported $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI’s assets. Altman accused Musk of acting out of insecurity and attempting to disrupt OpenAI’s progress.
“Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity,” Altman said in an interview with Bloomberg Television at the Paris AI Summit. “I feel for the guy. I don’t think he’s a happy person,” he added, as cited by multiple US publications, including the New York Post and The Hill.
Musk, along with a group of investors, reportedly made an unsolicited offer to purchase OpenAI’s assets, a move Altman dismissed outright. “The company is not for sale. It’s another one of his tactics to try to mess with us,” he stated. When asked what Musk aimed to achieve with the offer, Altman replied, “He’s probably just trying to slow us down.”
Reports from The New York Times on Monday indicated that Musk had secured backing from prominent investors, including Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC, Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, and Vy Capital, along with Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, confirmed the involvement of these investors, while Musk himself issued a statement saying it was “time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was.”
In response to the $97.4 billion offer, Altman took a swipe at Musk on X (formerly Twitter), sarcastically posting, “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” Musk fired back, calling Altman a “swindler.”
The bid comes at a critical moment for OpenAI, which is in the process of securing a massive $40 billion funding deal led by Japanese tech giant SoftBank. If finalized, the funding round would push OpenAI’s valuation to an estimated $300 billion—a dramatic increase from just four months ago.
According to The New York Times, OpenAI has not yet formally reviewed Musk’s bid. However, industry analysts suggest that Musk’s move could be an attempt to disrupt OpenAI’s funding efforts and slow its rapid ascent in the AI industry. If completed, OpenAI’s new funding round would make it one of the most valuable private companies in the world, alongside Musk’s SpaceX and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. As tensions between Musk and OpenAI continue to escalate, the broader AI industry watches closely to see how the rivalry unfolds.
