Original Article by: www.theverge.com
Elon Musk has made a big move in the AI world by offering $97.4 billion to buy OpenAI’s nonprofit section. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk sent this offer to OpenAI’s board on Monday. He is supported by a group of investors, including his own AI company, xAI, Valor Equity Partners, Hollywood executive Ari Emanuel, and Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC. This offer adds to the competition between Musk and OpenAI, a company he helped start in 2015 but left in 2018 due to disagreements about its goals.
This offer comes at an important time. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, is already dealing with big changes. These include turning OpenAI into a for-profit company, raising 40 billion in funding, andplanninga 40 billioninfunding, and planning a 500 billion AI project. Musk’s offer challenges OpenAI’s current path. He has criticized the company for moving away from its original mission of creating safe and open AI. Musk has even sued OpenAI over these concerns, and his offer shows he wants to bring the company back to its original goals.
Through his lawyer, Musk said OpenAI should focus again on open-source and safe AI development. His team also said they are ready to match or beat any other offers, putting more pressure on Altman and OpenAI’s investors. This offer makes things more complicated for OpenAI, which is already in talks with Microsoft and other investors about its new for-profit structure.
After Musk’s announcement, Altman responded on social media with a joke. He rejected the offer and humorously suggested that OpenAI should buy Twitter for $9.74 billion instead. While Musk’s offer is unlikely to be accepted, it shows the ongoing battle for control in the AI industry and Musk’s strong desire to shape its future.
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