According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk is leading an investment group seeking $97.4 billion for the charity that owns OpenAI, opening a new front in his battle with the ChatGPT creator.
According to the Journal, Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, presented the bid to OpenAI’s board of directors.
“No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” OpenAI chief Sam Altman posted in a post on X, formerly Twitter, seemingly reacting to the offer.
Musk, who purchased X under its previous name for $44 billion in 2022, simply reacted to the post with the words “Swindler.”
Musk’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Tesla boss and close ally of US President Donald Trump has been mired in an ongoing feud with Altman, with Musk filing repeated lawsuits against the San Francisco-based OpenAI.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, with the company becoming the world’s leading AI startup since he left in 2018. He launched his own generative AI startup, xAI, in 2023.
In a December blog post, OpenAI outlined a plan to become a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, a for-profit structure controlled by a non-profit with a capped profit share for investors and employees. The shift would require the company to balance the interests of shareholders, stakeholders, and the public, shifting away from a non-profit model.
