![Elon Musk Heads $97.4 Billion Effort to Take Control of OpenAI](https://energynewsbeat.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GettyImages-2182884989-e1739254981383-450x300-2G6Z5G.jpeg)
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A consortium led by Elon Musk announced Monday that it has offered $97.4 billion to acquire the nonprofit overseeing OpenAI, marking the latest move in the billionaire’s efforts to prevent the AI startup from shifting to a for-profit model.
Musk’s bid is expected to escalate ongoing tensions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over ChatGPT maker’s direction as a leader in generative AI. In response, Altman posted on X: “no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 as a nonprofit but departed before its rise to prominence. In 2023, he launched xAI, a rival artificial intelligence venture.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O) and owner of tech and social media company X, is a close ally of President Donald Trump. He contributed over $250 million to support Trump’s election and currently heads the Department of Government Efficiency, a newly established White House division focused on dramatically reducing the federal bureaucracy.
Recently, Musk criticized a $500 billion OpenAI-led initiative unveiled by Trump at the White House. Meanwhile, OpenAI is working to transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity, arguing that the shift is necessary to attract the investment required for advancing its AI models.
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