Sam Altman Dismisses Elon Musk’s OpenAI Bid, Calls It a ‘Tactic to Mess With Us’

 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took a swipe at Elon Musk after reports surfaced that Musk and a group of investors made a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI’s assets. In an interview at the Paris AI Summit, Altman claimed Musk was acting out of "insecurity" and suggested that his actions were aimed at disrupting OpenAI’s progress.

 

"I feel for the guy, but I don’t think he’s a happy person," Altman remarked, reaffirming that OpenAI is not for sale. He dismissed the bid as yet another attempt by Musk to interfere with the company, saying, "He’s probably just trying to slow us down."

 

Musk, in response, called Altman a “swindler” and reiterated his stance that OpenAI should return to its original mission of open-source AI development. His legal team confirmed that several high-profile investors, including Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and multiple venture capital firms, were backing the takeover attempt.

 

The rivalry between Musk and OpenAI traces back to 2015 when Musk co-founded the company alongside Altman and others. However, he later parted ways over disagreements on its direction. In 2019, OpenAI shifted to a for-profit model to attract investors like Microsoft, a move that Musk has publicly criticized.