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Elon Musk-led group proposes buying OpenAI for $97.4 billion. OpenAI CEO says 'no thank you'
AP via MSN ^ | 02/10/2025 | Matt O'Brien

Posted on 02/11/2025 8:54:06 AM PST by SeekAndFind

A group of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit behind OpenAI, escalating a dispute with the artificial intelligence company that Musk helped found a decade ago.

Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a consortium of investment firms want to take control of the ChatGPT maker and revert it to its original charitable mission as a nonprofit research lab, according to Musk's attorney Marc Toberoff.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly rejected the unsolicited bid on Musk's social platform X, saying, “no thank you but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

Musk bought Twitter, now called X, for $44 billion in 2022.

Musk and Altman, who together helped start OpenAI in 2015 and later competed over who should lead it, have been in a long-running feud over the startup's direction since Musk resigned from its board in 2018.

Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the company last year, first in a California state court and later in federal court, alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab that would benefit the public good by safely building better-than-human AI. Musk had invested about $45 million in the startup from its founding until 2018, Toberoff has said.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Society
KEYWORDS: ai; musk; openai; samaltman

1 posted on 02/11/2025 8:54:06 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Well I don’t want musk to own everything. I don’t want anybody to own everything. That goes no where good.


2 posted on 02/11/2025 8:58:15 AM PST by Revel
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To: Revel

It was a joke between billionaires who hate each other. Open AI is worth a lot more than that. Altman’s reply about buying X for 10% of the offer amount was essentially a FU.


3 posted on 02/11/2025 9:01:25 AM PST by bigbob (Yes. We ARE going back!)
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To: bigbob

The 9.74 offer was essentially a troll.


4 posted on 02/11/2025 9:03:12 AM PST by glorgau
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To: SeekAndFind

Musk would be better off putting his money in ventures for specific applications of great value (policing, education, etc.).


5 posted on 02/11/2025 9:04:45 AM PST by Brian Griffin
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To: SeekAndFind

Musk should drive the price up just to p!ss off Altman 😂


6 posted on 02/11/2025 9:04:47 AM PST by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m not seeing Musk getting $44 billion of value out of Twitter.


7 posted on 02/11/2025 9:07:21 AM PST by Brian Griffin
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To: SeekAndFind

I can’t imagine being so wealthy as to offer $100 BILLION for a company.

Nor can I imagine turning down $100 billion for my company.


8 posted on 02/11/2025 9:13:28 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (They were the FA-est of times, they were the FO-est of times.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I thought “open” meant community ownership.


9 posted on 02/11/2025 9:13:29 AM PST by GingisK
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To: Brian Griffin

...going to Mars.


10 posted on 02/11/2025 9:14:13 AM PST by GingisK
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To: Brian Griffin

MAYBE NOT-—BUT AMERICAN CITIZENS CERTAINLY HAVE DONE SO.


11 posted on 02/11/2025 9:45:33 AM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: SeekAndFind

AI is what the marxists and democrats are hoping to use AI to counter the new media. If Elon gets OpenAI and unleashes that technology to rid ourselves of useless government bureaucrats and really dig through government records we ain’t seen nothing yet.


12 posted on 02/11/2025 9:52:53 AM PST by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: SeekAndFind

OpenAI stole money from Musk.

Their plan all along was to eventually go private and make bank.

But, they started as a non-profit promising to produce open software (hence the name OpenAI). Musk bought into that vision and donated millions of dollars to get them started.

Musk is right to be upset. OpenAI committed fraud. You can’t convert a non-profit (that takes donations no less) into a profit making enterprise.


13 posted on 02/11/2025 10:11:38 AM PST by Brookhaven (Ted Cruz said Jan. 6 was terrorism; don't forget that the next time you vote.)
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To: SeekAndFind
If it really was artificial "intelligence", it could simply quit and go work for Musk.

Since it's just programming...

14 posted on 02/11/2025 10:34:13 AM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: SeekAndFind

Based on what I have seen so far (or NOT seen...) Altman has not earned the right to be cocky. And better show some real results soon!


15 posted on 02/11/2025 12:06:17 PM PST by oil_dude
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To: bigbob
It was a joke between billionaires who hate each other. Open AI is worth a lot more than that.

Altman has previously claimed OpenAI valuation is half what Musk offered. With Altman dismissing Musk's offer, he has defacto admitted that OpenAI is worth more than he's stated. Altman is out of his depth and is not doing himself any favors.
16 posted on 02/11/2025 1:14:47 PM PST by brent13a
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To: Brian Griffin
I’m not seeing Musk getting $44 billion of value out of Twitter.

Yeah, X is definitely on the verge of bankruptcy and failure. It's definitely not worth much of anything.
17 posted on 02/11/2025 1:16:37 PM PST by brent13a
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