Elon Musk, along with a consortium of investors including his AI company xAI, recently made an unsolicited bid of $97.4 billion to acquire OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT. The offer aimed to revert OpenAI to its original nonprofit mission focused on open-source and safety-centric AI research.

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, promptly declined the proposal, responding on X (formerly Twitter) with a succinct "No thank you." He further quipped, "but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want," referencing Musk's 2022 acquisition of the platform for $44 billion.

This exchange underscores the ongoing tension between Musk and Altman, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015. Musk departed from the company in 2018 due to strategic disagreements and later established a competing AI venture, xAI, in 2023. He has since been critical of OpenAI's shift towards a for-profit model, arguing that it deviates from its foundational principles.

In addition to the acquisition bid, Musk has filed lawsuits against OpenAI, alleging that the organization has strayed from its original nonprofit mission. These legal actions are part of a broader dispute over the company's direction and governance.

OpenAI is currently in the process of transitioning into a for-profit public benefit corporation to attract necessary investments for advancing its AI research and development. This move has been a point of contention between the two tech leaders, reflecting their differing visions for the future of artificial intelligence.