A group of investors led by Elon Musk has offered a staggering $97.4 billion to purchase OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. But the company’s current owner, Sam Altman, rejected the offer, sparking a public back-and-forth between the two tech giants.
Musk, the world’s richest person and a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has found himself in an escalating business rivalry with Altman, CEO of OpenAI. At the heart of the dispute is the future of artificial intelligence, a rapidly growing field that’s changing the way people interact with technology. ChatGPT, OpenAI’s flagship product, has become incredibly popular, widely used for everything from answering questions at work to helping students with homework.
In a response that many saw as cheeky, Altman posted on Musk’s platform X (formerly known as Twitter), rejecting the offer with a playful jab. He wrote, “No thanks, but we’d be happy to buy X for $9.74 billion if you’re interested.” Musk, known for his sharp remarks, didn’t take kindly to the comment, calling Altman a “fraud.”
OpenAI, founded in 2015 by Musk and Altman as a nonprofit, has quickly become a major player in the AI world. Its advancements in artificial intelligence, especially in areas like natural language processing, have revolutionized the tech industry.
Also Read; Leaders Urged to Collaborate on
DRC Crisis
The company’s innovations have attracted significant investments and propelled it to profitability, making it one of the most valuable companies in the sector.
While Musk and Altman once shared a vision for OpenAI’s future, their relationship has soured in recent years. Musk stepped down from the company in 2018, and since then, OpenAI has transformed into a more commercially driven entity, a shift that has sparked tension between the two. Today, OpenAI continues to grow rapidly, while Musk’s own ventures, like X, face increasing competition in the digital space.
The back-and-forth between Musk and Altman highlights just how much the stakes have risen in the AI industry. As technology continues to evolve and reshape industries around the world, figures like Musk and Altman are at the forefront of a fierce battle to control the future of artificial intelligence. While this particular offer may have been rejected, it’s clear that the competition in AI is only heating up, with Musk and Altman playing key roles in its future direction.