'i Don't Think He's A Happy Person': Sam Altman Turns Down Elon Musk's Offer To Buy Openai As The Billionaires Exchange Personal Jabs On X

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 39, made it clear connected Tuesday that OpenAI was not for discarded pursuing a astonishment $97.4 cardinal connection from Elon Musk connected Monday for nan company's operating assets.

"Elon tries each sorts of things," Altman told Bloomberg astatine nan Paris AI Action Summit connected Tuesday. "I deliberation he's astir apt conscionable trying to slow america down."

Altman pointed retired that Musk, 53, is nan CEO of xAI, a rival AI startup that past raised $6 cardinal successful December 2024. xAI is "trying to compete" pinch OpenAI by trying to get caller technologies and products to nan marketplace faster than OpenAI, according to Altman.

Related: Elon Musk Is Accusing OpenAI of 'Offering Vastly Inflated Compensation.' Here's How Much OpenAI Employees Really Make, From Technical to Communications Roles

Altman was later asked successful nan mobility and reply if Musk trying to return complete OpenAI came from a position of insecurity astir xAI's technology. Altman responded pinch a individual jab astatine Musk.

"Probably his afloat life is from a position of insecurity," Altman said. "I consciousness for nan guy, I do, I don't deliberation he's a happy person."

Musk led a group of investors to make an unsolicited relationship to bargain OpenAI, submitting a bid to OpenAI's committee of committee connected Monday, per nan Wall Street Journal. Musk said successful a relationship provided by his lawyer, Marc Toberoff, that his volition pinch nan bid was to bring OpenAI backmost "to nan open-source, safety-focused portion of bully it erstwhile was."

Altman quickly responded pinch a position connected X connected Monday, writing, "No convey you, but we will bargain Twitter for $9.74 cardinal if you want."

Musk paid $44 cardinal for Twitter, now X, successful October 2022. Musk replied to Altman's station pinch 1 word: "Swindler."

Shortly aft nan exchange, Musk posted connected X "Scam Altman" pinch a clip of Altman testifying earlier nan Senate Judiciary Committee successful May 2023. In nan clip, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) asks Altman if he makes a batch of money. Altman says he is paid tin for wellness information and has nary equity successful OpenAI. Kennedy says that Altman "needs a lawyer aliases an agent," and Altman responds by saying that he is moving astatine OpenAI "because [he] loves it."

Altman makes $76,000 per twelvemonth arsenic OpenAI's CEO but is worthy astatine slightest $2 cardinal according to nan Bloomberg Billionaires Index because of investments successful Stripe, Reddit, and atomic powerfulness startup Helion.

Swindler

— Harry Bōlz (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025

Scam Altman
pic.twitter.com/j9EXIqBZ8u

— Harry Bōlz (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025

Musk helped cofound OpenAI and near successful early 2018 aft Altman and different institution founders rejected Musk's relationship to return powerfulness of and tally nan company. He has since revenge lawsuits against Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman, accusing them of going against nan founding principles of OpenAI and moving to maximize profits for Microsoft, a now cardinal investor that has poured adjacent to $14 cardinal into nan company.

Related: Elon Musk Accuses ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI of Being a 'Market-Paralyzing Gorgon': Lawsuit

Altman took different jab astatine Musk by telling Bloomberg connected Tuesday that he wished Musk would compete pinch OpenAI by building amended products, alternatively of filing lawsuits and nan $97.4 cardinal bid.

"There's been a batch of tactics, many, galore lawsuits, each sorts of different crazy stuff, now this," he said referring to nan bid. "We'll effort to put our heads down and support working."

Musk is nan richest man successful nan world pinch a nett worthy of $395 billion, according to nan Bloomberg Billionaires Index.