Elon Musk has launched a staggering $97.4 billion bid to take control of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company he co-founded in 2015. The move, reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as tensions between Musk and OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, continue to escalate over the company’s shift toward a for-profit model.
Musk, who also heads Tesla and the AI startup xAI, has been vocal in his criticism of OpenAI’s direction. His latest bid follows a lawsuit he filed against OpenAI and Altman, accusing them of abandoning the company’s original mission of developing AI for the benefit of humanity. Instead, Musk claims, OpenAI is now prioritizing profits.
The takeover attempt also coincides with OpenAI’s recent unveiling of the $500 billion Stargate project, an ambitious AI initiative announced at the White House. Musk has expressed skepticism about whether OpenAI’s investors have the necessary funds to back such a large-scale endeavor.
Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, reportedly submitted the bid to OpenAI’s board on Monday. In a statement cited by The Wall Street Journal, Musk said, “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 bid is backed by Musk’s xAI, which could merge with OpenAI if the deal is approved. Musk founded xAI in 2023 as a competitor to OpenAI, aiming to create AI models aligned with his vision of safety and transparency.
As of now, neither OpenAI, Musk, Toberoff, nor Microsoft—one of OpenAI’s largest investors—have publicly commented on the takeover offer. The outcome of Musk’s bid remains uncertain, but it signals his continued push to reshape the AI industry on his own terms.
