A consortium of investors, spearheaded by **Elon Musk**, has recently sought to purchase **OpenAI**, a prominent artificial intelligence firm. Nevertheless, their proposal seems to have been declined.

As per a report from the *Wall Street Journal*, Musk and his investing team made an unsolicited offer of **$97.4 billion** to buy the nonprofit organization that manages OpenAI.

Musk and **Sam Altman**, OpenAI’s CEO, were both among the company’s co-founders. However, Musk subsequently distanced himself from the entity, and the relationship between the two has become increasingly strained over the years. OpenAI was initially founded as a nonprofit with a commitment to open-source principles, but following the emergence of **ChatGPT**, Altman has pivoted the organization towards a **for-profit** structure.

Musk, who has since established his own AI company, **xAI**, has consistently **criticized** OpenAI and Altman regarding this transition.

### Musk’s Vision for OpenAI

Musk’s legal representatives informed *WSJ*, *”It’s time for OpenAI to revert to the open-source, safety-oriented initiative for the greater good that it used to be. We will ensure that it occurs.”*

In spite of this, OpenAI has already attracted billions in investments from significant stakeholders like **Microsoft** and was most recently **valued at $157 billion**.

### Altman’s Response

Altman seemingly brushed off Musk’s proposal in a message on **X (formerly Twitter)**. He commented:

*”No thank you, but we will purchase Twitter for $9.74 billion if you’re interested.”*

This statement was an evident taunt towards Musk, alluding to his **$44 billion** purchase of Twitter in 2022—a transaction generally regarded as overpriced. Since Musk’s acquisition, the platform’s worth has **dropped considerably**.

Musk replied to Altman’s dismissal with a single term:

**”Swindler.”**