Billionaire Elon Musk “bargains” over buying OpenAI

Billionaire Elon Musk's lawyer announced that the Tesla car company boss will withdraw his offer to buy OpenAI if the ChatGPT application provider remains a non-profit organization.

A consortium led by the Tesla chief executive will withdraw its $97.4 billion offer to buy the nonprofit arm of OpenAI if the ChatGPT maker abandons plans to become a for-profit organization, Elon Musk's attorney said in a court filing Wednesday.

Billionaire Elon Musk will withdraw his bid to buy OpenAI if the company abandons its for-profit purpose.

Billionaire Musk has been trying to prevent the startup he co-founded and then left from becoming a for-profit company, a move crucial for OpenAI to secure more funding and maintain its lead in the AI ​​race.

"If the OpenAI Board of Directors is willing to preserve the charity's mission and remove the indication of a divestment, Mr. Musk will withdraw his offer," Elon Musk's attorney said in the filing.

“Otherwise, the charity must be compensated for the amount an independent buyer would pay for the assets ($97.4 billion from the Musk group). This is a serious offer by Mr. Elon Musk, to advance the mission of this charity,” the lawyer added.

In addition to Tesla and SpaceX, billionaire Elon Musk also owns an AI startup - xAI, a platform launched in 2023.

A source close to the matter said that OpenAI's board of directors has not yet received a formal offer from billionaire Musk's group, which further adds to the confusion over whether or not the Tesla boss is attempting to "take over" OpenAI.

Earlier this week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the nonprofit that controls the company is not for sale, calling the offer "absurd."

SoftBank Group is in talks to lead a funding round of up to $40 billion in OpenAI, at a valuation of $300 billion.

Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 as a nonprofit, but left in 2018 before the company took off due to differences in direction and funding. Altman later became CEO of OpenAI and set up a for-profit unit within the startup to secure funding from investors like Microsoft.

Altman is now planning to restructure its core business into a for-profit company that will no longer be controlled by the nonprofit's board. However, the nonprofit will continue to exist and own a stake in the for-profit. Musk has sued to block the conversion.

Regardless of the outcome, Elon Musk's bid will complicate OpenAI's efforts to turn it into a for-profit company, some analysts say, as it could set a high floor for the nonprofit arm that controls the startup.

Questions have arisen about whether OpenAI is distributing assets to its nonprofit arm fairly since Reuters first reported in September 2024 about plans to change the company's structure.

SoftBank Group is in talks to lead a funding round of up to $40 billion in OpenAI at a valuation of $300 billion, including new funds, meaning the nonprofit could own a significant stake in the company.

(Source Reuters, AP)

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/ty-phu-elon-musk-mac-ca-chuyen-mua-ban-openai-192250214120740121.htm