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Sam Altman Addresses Elon Musk's Offer to Acquire OpenAI
The CEO of OpenAI asserts that the company is 'not for sale' following Musk's offer of USD 97.4 billion.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, publicly responded to recent comments made by Elon Musk regarding his attempt to acquire the artificial intelligence firm.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television at the Paris AI Summit, Altman described Musk's behavior as originating from a "position of insecurity."
"Probably his entire life comes from a position of insecurity," Altman remarked.
He expressed some sympathy for Musk, suggesting that he does not view the Tesla CEO as a content individual.
Musk is said to have proposed a USD 97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI's assets, which Altman decisively turned down, reaffirming that the company is "not for sale."
In reply to Musk's unsolicited offer, Altman commented, "It's another one of his tactics to try to mess with us." He speculated that Musk's motives might include attempts to obstruct OpenAI's advancement.
The New York Times reported on Monday that a group of investors led by Musk made the acquisition proposal.
Altman later addressed the offer on X, jokingly suggesting, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you're interested." In response, Musk labeled Altman a "swindler."
Musk's attorney, Marc Toberoff, stated that Musk had secured backing from several high-profile investors, including venture capital firms like 8VC, led by Joe Lonsdale, Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, and Vy Capital, as well as Endeavor's CEO, Ari Emanuel.
In a public statement, Musk expressed a wish for OpenAI to return to being an "open-source, safety-focused force for good."
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on Musk's bid, while The New York Times highlighted that OpenAI had yet to officially evaluate the offer.
This unexpected proposal could potentially complicate OpenAI's efforts to finalize a separate USD 40 billion funding agreement, which would substantially increase the company's valuation compared to four months ago.
This new funding round, allegedly led by the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, may value OpenAI at approximately USD 300 billion, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
If successful, this funding round would place OpenAI among the most valued private companies globally, alongside Elon Musk's SpaceX and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television at the Paris AI Summit, Altman described Musk's behavior as originating from a "position of insecurity."
"Probably his entire life comes from a position of insecurity," Altman remarked.
He expressed some sympathy for Musk, suggesting that he does not view the Tesla CEO as a content individual.
Musk is said to have proposed a USD 97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI's assets, which Altman decisively turned down, reaffirming that the company is "not for sale."
In reply to Musk's unsolicited offer, Altman commented, "It's another one of his tactics to try to mess with us." He speculated that Musk's motives might include attempts to obstruct OpenAI's advancement.
The New York Times reported on Monday that a group of investors led by Musk made the acquisition proposal.
Altman later addressed the offer on X, jokingly suggesting, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you're interested." In response, Musk labeled Altman a "swindler."
Musk's attorney, Marc Toberoff, stated that Musk had secured backing from several high-profile investors, including venture capital firms like 8VC, led by Joe Lonsdale, Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, and Vy Capital, as well as Endeavor's CEO, Ari Emanuel.
In a public statement, Musk expressed a wish for OpenAI to return to being an "open-source, safety-focused force for good."
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on Musk's bid, while The New York Times highlighted that OpenAI had yet to officially evaluate the offer.
This unexpected proposal could potentially complicate OpenAI's efforts to finalize a separate USD 40 billion funding agreement, which would substantially increase the company's valuation compared to four months ago.
This new funding round, allegedly led by the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, may value OpenAI at approximately USD 300 billion, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
If successful, this funding round would place OpenAI among the most valued private companies globally, alongside Elon Musk's SpaceX and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.
