OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 39, made it clear on Tuesday that OpenAI was not on the market following a shock $97.4 billion supply from Elon Musk on Monday for the corporate’s working belongings.
“Elon tries all types of issues,” Altman instructed Bloomberg on the Paris AI Motion Summit on Tuesday. “I feel he is in all probability simply making an attempt to sluggish us down.”
Altman identified that Musk, 53, is the CEO of xAI, a rival AI startup that final raised $6 billion in December 2024. xAI is “making an attempt to compete” with OpenAI by making an attempt to get new applied sciences and merchandise to the market quicker than OpenAI, in response to Altman.
Altman was later requested within the interview if Musk making an attempt to take over OpenAI got here from a place of insecurity about xAI’s expertise. Altman responded with a private jab at Musk.
“Most likely his complete life is from a place of insecurity,” Altman stated. “I really feel for the man, I do, I do not suppose he is a cheerful particular person.”
Musk led a gaggle of buyers to make an unsolicited supply to purchase OpenAI, submitting a bid to OpenAI’s board of administrators on Monday, per the Wall Road Journal. Musk stated in a press release supplied by his lawyer, Marc Toberoff, that his intention with the bid was to convey OpenAI again “to the open-source, safety-focused drive of fine it as soon as was.”
Altman shortly responded with a publish on X on Monday, writing, “No thanks, however we are going to purchase Twitter for $9.74 billion if you would like.”
Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter, now X, in October 2022. Musk replied to Altman’s publish with one phrase: “Swindler.”
Shortly after the alternate, Musk posted on X “Rip-off Altman” with a clip of Altman testifying earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee in Might 2023. Within the clip, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) asks Altman if he makes some huge cash. Altman says he’s paid sufficient for medical insurance and has no fairness in OpenAI. Kennedy says that Altman “wants a lawyer or an agent,” and Altman responds by saying that he’s working at OpenAI “as a result of [he] loves it.”
Altman makes $76,000 per yr as OpenAI’s CEO however is value at the least $2 billion in response to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index due to investments in Stripe, Reddit, and nuclear vitality startup Helion.
Swindler
— Harry Bōlz (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025
Rip-off Altman
pic.twitter.com/j9EXIqBZ8u— Harry Bōlz (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025
Musk helped cofound OpenAI and left in early 2018 after Altman and different firm founders rejected Musk’s proposal to take management of and run the corporate. He has since filed lawsuits in opposition to Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman, accusing them of going in opposition to the founding rules of OpenAI and dealing to maximise earnings for Microsoft, a now key investor that has poured near $14 billion into the corporate.
Associated: Elon Musk Accuses ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI of Being a ‘Market-Paralyzing Gorgon’: Lawsuit
Altman took one other jab at Musk by telling Bloomberg on Tuesday that he wished Musk would compete with OpenAI by constructing higher merchandise, as a substitute of submitting lawsuits and the $97.4 billion bid.
“There’s been a number of techniques, many, many lawsuits, all types of different loopy stuff, now this,” he stated referring to the bid. “We’ll attempt to put our heads down and hold working.”
Musk is the richest man on this planet with a internet value of $395 billion, in response to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.