- विज्ञापन -
Washington: OpenAI’s board of directors is voicing concerns over a recent $97.4 billion takeover bid led by Elon Musk and a group of investors, questioning the rationale behind the proposal, as reported by The New York Times.
On Monday, the consortium led by Musk made an ambitious bid to acquire OpenAI’s assets. In a playful jab at the offer, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to social media platform X, stating, “No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” Musk retaliated by labeling Altman a “swindler.”
In a court filing submitted on Wednesday, OpenAI contended that Musk’s offer contradicts his previous legal stance as outlined in a lawsuit he filed against the company last year. The filing highlighted Musk’s earlier claim that OpenAI’s assets must remain with the nonprofit and should not be transferred for public gain. OpenAI is essentially accusing Musk of hypocrisy, asserting that he is now arguing against the very principles he previously defended.
As of now, OpenAI’s board has not made a formal decision regarding the takeover offer. Marc Toberoff, a Los Angeles lawyer representing Musk, stated in his comments to The New York Times that the lawsuit is primarily about Altman and OpenAI’s alleged misconduct, rather than control over the organization. He added, “If OpenAI’s board is prepared to stipulate to take the ‘For Sale’ sign off the charity’s assets in its so-called ‘conversion,’ Musk will withdraw his bid. But, of course, OpenAI will never do that.”
The feud between Musk and Altman is not new; in August of last year, Musk accused OpenAI of prioritizing profits over its original nonprofit mission of advancing AI for the benefit of humanity. Recently, a U.S. federal judge indicated that certain aspects of Musk’s lawsuit may go to trial, which would require Musk to testify about his claims against OpenAI regarding its transition to a for-profit entity.
Notably, Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 but departed from the organization before it took off. In 2023, he launched xAI, a competing AI startup. The ongoing tensions hint at deeper issues within the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
In related developments, former President Donald Trump recently announced a joint venture called Stargate, aimed at investing approximately $500 billion in AI infrastructure through a collaboration involving OpenAI, Oracle (ORCL), and SoftBank (SFTBY).
As the situation unfolds, the implications of Musk’s bid and the subsequent responses from OpenAI continue to highlight the fraught landscape of AI development and the ethical considerations surrounding it.
