Elon Musk and a group of investors have made an offer to acquire OpenAI for $97.4 billion, which could significantly affect the future of artificial intelligence. This was reported by CNN, according to UNN.
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Musk, who has a long-standing conflict with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has previously filed a number of lawsuits against the company, accusing it of straying from its original nonprofit mission.
OpenAI operates within a complex corporate structure: it is controlled by a non-profit organization that runs a for-profit company, OpenAI LP. Under Altman's leadership, the company has grown into a giant worth about $100 billion, sparking controversy over its original principles and commercial ambitions.
Musk's proposed acquisition, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, could give him control over a competitor to his own company, X.AI. Lawyers representing the investors insist on the need for OpenAI to return to open source and prioritize security, as opposed to the current commercial strategy.
Altman responded by sarcastically pointing out on social network X that the company could have bought Twitter for $9.74 billion instead. This further exacerbated the tension between the parties, which has been ongoing since Musk left OpenAI in 2018. Musk had previously tried to convince the co-founders to allow Tesla to acquire the company, which was unsuccessful.
OpenAI's investors, including Microsoft and Thrive Capital, expect to see an increase in profits, which may have influenced Altman's decision to accelerate the commercialization of the company's technology.