Elon Musk and a consortium of investors have made an unsolicited $97.4 billion offer to acquire control of OpenAI, intensifying the ongoing dispute between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The offer was formally submitted to OpenAI’s board of directors on Monday, as confirmed by Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, in a statement to The Wall Street Journal.
no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 10, 2025
The bid challenges Altman’s existing plans to transition OpenAI into a for-profit entity. OpenAI, currently structured as a non-profit, has not publicly responded to the proposal. However, Altman dismissed the offer on X, Musk’s social media platform, suggesting instead that Musk could purchase X (formerly Twitter) for $9.74 billion.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 before departing in 2019, has remained critical of the company’s direction. Under Altman’s leadership, OpenAI established a for-profit branch and secured substantial investments, including backing from Microsoft. Musk’s group has stated that they are willing to match or exceed any competing offers that may arise.
Musk described his intent as a move to restore OpenAI’s original mission. “It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “We will make sure that happens.”