Elon Musk's $97B OpenAI Bid Met with Altman's $9.74B Twitter Counter

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, proposed a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI's non-profit arm, but with a condition: the AI firm must maintain its non-profit model. This move was met with a swift and strategic counteroffer from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

In a court filing on Wednesday, Musk stated that if OpenAI's board preserved the company's original charitable mission and removed the "for sale" sign, he would withdraw his offer. However, if OpenAI persisted in its for-profit transition, Musk proposed that the non-profit should receive market value compensation.

Altman, with a pointed jab at Musk, dismissed the bid and fired back with a counteroffer of his own. The company also reiterated that Musk's proposal directly opposed his existing lawsuit against OpenAI, aimed at halting the transition to private ownership.

Altman's witty and precisely calculated counteroffer was, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want." Musk responded with a single-word reply: "Swindler."

Notably, Musk sued OpenAI in August, accusing Altman and other executives of deviating from the company's founding principles. The dispute escalated last week when Musk claimed OpenAI attempted to "delete" its non-profit component.

OpenAI has been restructuring into a for-profit benefit corporation since 2023. The new model aims to attract investors by reducing non-profit board control while allowing a minority stake to remain. Sources estimate OpenAI's valuation could climb to $150 billion under this structure. A company spokesperson emphasized OpenAI's commitment to its mission: "We remain focused on building AI that benefits everyone. The non-profit remains core to our mission and will continue to exist."

Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit AI research lab but left in 2018 due to disagreements over its direction. Since his departure, OpenAI has secured billions in funding, including substantial investment from Microsoft, and launched ChatGPT, now boasting over 200 million weekly active users.

Musk has repeatedly criticized OpenAI's commercialization, arguing it has drifted from its original mission. His latest takeover attempt highlights his ongoing concerns about AI governance and ethics. Altman's sharp counteroffer has added a new dimension to