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Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, declined Elon Musk's unsolicited $97.4 billion acquisition bid, emphasizing that OpenAI is "not for sale."

Musk's proposal, presented on Monday, was part of his continued efforts to shape the company's direction, which Altman asserts stem from an intention to hinder OpenAI's advancement.

According to Entrepreneur, Altman addressed the offer during a Tuesday interview at the Paris AI Action Summit, stating, "Elon tries all sorts of things... I think he's probably just trying to slow us down." Musk, the CEO of the rival AI company xAI, is reportedly aiming to push out new technologies at a faster pace than OpenAI.

Altman pointed out that Musk's approach to competition involves "many lawsuits, all sorts of other crazy stuff," rather than focusing on building better products.

Sam Altman Responds to Musk's OpenAI Bid

Musk's investment group, which includes xAI, submitted a bid for the operating assets of OpenAI. Musk's lawyer stated that the offer was meant to return OpenAI to its "open-source, safety-focused" roots.

However, Altman immediately responded on X (formerly Twitter) by humorously offering to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion, poking fun at Musk's own $44 billion acquisition of the platform in 2022. Musk's response was swift, calling Altman a "Swindler" in a post, Business Insider said.

The tension between Altman and Musk goes back to 2018 when Musk left OpenAI after his proposal to take control of the company was rejected.

Musk has since filed lawsuits accusing OpenAI of betraying its founding principles, particularly regarding the company's transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit organization.

Musk has also criticized OpenAI's partnership with Microsoft, which has invested nearly $14 billion in the company.

Altman, however, remains resolute. "We'll try to put our heads down and keep working," he said, emphasizing that the company's mission is not up for negotiation.

Despite the ongoing disputes, Altman maintains that everything happening is a part of OpenAI's journey and mission, and that "everything happens for a reason."

Tags

Sam Altman, OpenAI, Elon Musk