Billionaire Musk wants to spend $97.4 billion to control the company that owns ChatGPT
Feb 11, 2025
Washington [US], February 11: Billionaire Elon Musk wants to control OpenAI, the company that owns the artificial intelligence application ChatGPT, in an effort to prevent the company from transitioning to a for-profit operating model.
A group of companies led by billionaire Elon Musk has just announced that they have offered to buy the non-profit organization that controls OpenAI , the company that owns the artificial intelligence application ChatGPT , for $97.4 billion.
This is seen as a move in the billionaire's fight to prevent this AI startup from turning into a for-profit company, Reuters reported on February 11. The group led by Mr. Musk includes his company xAI, Baron Capital Group, Emanuel Capital and many other companies.
Mr Musk's lawyer Marc Toberoff said the proposal had been forwarded to OpenAI's board of directors.
"No thanks. But we will buy Twitter ( social network X) for $9.74 billion if you want," OpenAI leader Sam Altman wrote on X, apparently responding to the OpenAI offer.
Mr Musk, who bought X for $44 billion in 2022, responded only briefly, writing "fraudster". Mr Musk and Mr Altman have had many disputes, including Mr Musk suing OpenAI several times.
Prior to that, Mr. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, a non-profit company. The company was at the forefront of AI when he left in 2018. He then started his own company, xAI, in 2023.
"We have created a separate structure: a for-profit organization, controlled by a nonprofit, with limited profit sharing for investors and employees," OpenAI said in December 2024.
Accordingly, this change will require companies to balance the interests of shareholders, stakeholders and the public in a direction away from non-profit goals.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
