Investor group led by Elon Musk submits $97 billion bid to acquire OpenAI
The news that an investor group led by Elon Musk has offered $97 billion to acquire OpenAI is making waves. This article provides a detailed explanation of the background of this bid, the relationship between Musk and OpenAI, the purpose of the acquisition, and its impact on the market.
1. The relationship between Elon Musk and OpenAI
1-1. The founding of OpenAI and Musk's involvement
OpenAI was founded in 2015 and initially started as a non-profit organization aiming for the open-source development of artificial intelligence (AI). Elon Musk, as one of the co-founders, provided significant funding and was deeply involved in the organization's vision. However, Musk stepped away from OpenAI's management in 2018.
1-2. Musk's criticism of OpenAI
In recent years, Musk has strongly criticized OpenAI for deviating from its original philosophy of "open-source AI" and moving toward a commercial direction. In particular, conflict deepened in 2024 when he took legal action regarding OpenAI's transition from a non-profit to a for-profit company.
2. Background and purpose of the $97 billion bid
2-1. Details of the bid
An investor group led by Elon Musk has made a $97 billion bid for OpenAI. This offer was confirmed to The Wall Street Journal by Musk's lawyer, Marc Toberoff.
2-2. Intentions behind acquiring OpenAI
Regarding the purpose of this acquisition, Musk has stated,
“It is time to return OpenAI to its former status as an open-source, safety-focused organization.”
Furthermore, since his AI company, xAI, is involved in this acquisition, it has been pointed out that if the acquisition is successful, there is a possibility that integration with xAI will proceed.
3. Impact on the market and competitors
3-1. OpenAI's current status and competitive environment
Currently, OpenAI is strengthening its partnership with Microsoft and accelerating commercial AI development. In particular, the development of ChatGPT and the expansion of AI services for businesses are progressing, increasing its competitiveness in the market.
Meanwhile, Musk's xAI has developed a competing AI model called Grok, which it has released as open source. Musk claims that “xAI is faithfully adhering to the philosophy that OpenAI originally upheld,” and his acquisition plan aims to return OpenAI to this direction.
3-2. Changes in the relationship with Microsoft
Currently, OpenAI has received approximately $13 billion in investment from Microsoft and also utilizes Azure for its cloud infrastructure. If Musk's bid is successful, this relationship could undergo significant changes.
4. Sam Altman's reaction
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to Musk's acquisition proposal with irony. He posted on X (formerly Twitter),
no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 10, 2025
"I decline. However, if you are interested, I will buy back Twitter for $974 million," he posted, releasing a comment mocking Musk's past acquisition of Twitter (which he bought for $44 billion in 2022).
5. Future outlook and possibility of acquisition
5-1. Probability of acquisition success
Musk's bid was unexpected, and attention is focused on how OpenAI's existing investors and management will respond. While the $97 billion figure is attractive, the possibility of the acquisition being realized remains unclear when considering the relationship with Microsoft and the balance with existing management strategies.
5-2. Impact on the AI industry
If the acquisition is successful, it could significantly change the landscape of the AI industry. In particular, if the "return to open-source AI" that Musk emphasizes becomes a reality, it will have a major impact on the current direction of AI development.
The acquisition proposal for OpenAI by an investor team led by Elon Musk has become a major topic in the AI industry. It is unclear whether his goal of a "return to open-source AI" will be realized, but future developments are being watched to see how existing OpenAI partnerships, including those with Microsoft, will be affected.
It is necessary to continue to monitor how this acquisition proposal will affect the future of AI.
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