Elon Musk has opened a new chapter in his years-long public fight with Sam Altman, the CEO of the non-profit they cofounded in 2015, OpenAI, in the form of a $97.4 billion bid to acquire the not-for-profit organization that controls the artificial intelligence firm. Now, Altman has offered to purchase X, formerly known as Twitter, which Musk acquired in 2022.
“We will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” Altman wrote on social media. The counteroffer was a fraction of Musk’s bid for OpenAI, which reflects a massive decline in X’s value. He had acquired the platform for $44 billion in 2022.
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Musk fired back at him with a scathing riposte, branding Altman a “swindler” and referencing an ancient clip in which Altman was jokingly branded “Scam Altman” after denying making millions of dollars.
This is not the first time that Musk has raised questions over the finances of Altman. Some months ago, after Trump had unveiled his $500 billion Stargate project—an initiative that has reportedly been supported by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle—Musk said that the group had insufficient finances. In reaction, Altman extended an invitation to Musk to come see the first site of the project and remarked, “This is fantastic for the country. I know that what’s great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role I hope you’ll mostly put us first.”
Meanwhile, OpenAI is shifting from a nonprofit to a for-profit business since it needs money to support more advanced development.
