Elon Musk is spearheading an investment group proposing a $97.4 billion buyout of the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, intensifying his ongoing rivalry with the ChatGPT-maker, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
According to the report, Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, submitted the offer to OpenAI’s board of directors. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared to dismiss the bid, responding on X (formerly Twitter), “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
Musk, who purchased X for $44 billion in 2022, fired back with a one-word reply: “Swindler.” His attorney did not immediately comment on the matter.
The Tesla CEO and close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump has been locked in legal battles with OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015 before departing in 2018. Since then, OpenAI has grown into a dominant force in artificial intelligence, while Musk launched his own AI venture, xAI, in 2023.
OpenAI recently announced plans to transition into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, aiming to balance shareholder, stakeholder, and public interests.
Meanwhile, Trump unveiled a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment plan in January, backed by Japanese tech giant SoftBank, cloud computing firm Oracle, and OpenAI. The initiative, called Stargate, was announced at the White House with Altman, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in attendance.
Musk, however, cast doubt on the initiative, questioning whether the promised funds were truly secured. The criticism marked a rare public disagreement between Musk and Trump, despite Musk’s significant financial backing of Trump’s presidential campaign.