Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, criticized Elon Musk on Tuesday for reportedly proposing a $97.4 billion offer to acquire the assets of the artificial intelligence startup. Altman suggested that Musk’s actions stem from a “position of insecurity.”
In an interview with Bloomberg Television during the Paris AI Summit, Altman remarked, “It’s likely that he has lived his entire life in a state of insecurity,” expressing sympathy for Musk. He added, “I don’t think he’s a happy person,” as reported by various U.S. outlets.
Altman reiterated that OpenAI is “not for sale” following Musk’s unsolicited offer, stating, “The company is not for sale. It’s another one of his tactics to try to mess with us.” When asked about Musk’s motives, Altman speculated, “He’s probably just trying to slow us down.”
According to the New York Times, a consortium of investors led by Musk has made a bid of $97.4 billion for OpenAI’s assets. In response to the offer, Altman humorously suggested, “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” Musk, in turn, labeled Altman a “swindler.”
Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, mentioned that Musk has garnered support from several prominent investors, including Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and venture firms such as 8VC, Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, and Vy Capital. Musk stated that it was “time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force it once was.”
OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Altman, Musk, and others to challenge Google’s dominance in the AI sector. However, Musk later departed from the organization due to disagreements, while Altman took on the role of CEO. In 2019, OpenAI transitioned to a for-profit model to attract investors like Microsoft, with the non-profit now working to shift ChatGPT to a fully for-profit entity. Musk has also initiated multiple lawsuits against OpenAI in recent years, adding Microsoft to the list late last year.
