Elon Musk has launched a bold bid to acquire the non-profit arm of OpenAI for a staggering $97.4 billion. The company's transition from its original non-profit status, established in 2015, to a "capped profit" model in 2019 has been a point of contention for Musk. Despite his early involvement and significant donation of $50 million to OpenAI, Musk has expressed discontent with the company's move towards profit-driven operations since his departure from its board in 2018.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has dismissed Musk's offer, suggesting that it is an attempt to hinder a competitor. Altman remains unmoved by Musk's accusations that OpenAI has strayed from its mission to develop artificial intelligence for the greater good. The company's plan to become a fully for-profit public benefit corporation, expected to take up to two years, has only intensified Musk's criticism.
"I think the evidence was there in that OpenAI has gotten this far while having at least a sort of dual profit, non-profit role. What they're trying to do now is completely delete the non-profit. And that seems really going too far." – Elon Musk
Musk's concerns are not limited to internal affairs. At the World Governments Summit in Dubai, he openly criticized OpenAI's shift towards a for-profit model. Furthermore, in a conversation with the United Arab Emirates' AI Minister Omar al Olama, Musk defended the potential for a company like OpenAI to scale as a non-profit, citing its past achievements as evidence.
"I provided all of the funding for OpenAI for the first almost $50 million for nothing, as a non-profit, and it was meant to be open source," – Elon Musk
The legal documents related to Musk's bid reveal that he will retract his offer if OpenAI halts its conversion into a for-profit entity. This stance underscores his belief that OpenAI's focus should remain on its foundational mission rather than financial gain.
"And so, you know, I think this is analogous to, like… if you find a non-profit to preserve the Amazon rainforest, but then… instead they turn into a lumber company and chop down the trees and sell them for wood." – Elon Musk
Despite these developments, Altman has indicated that he does not regard Musk's bid as a serious threat. Instead, he views it as an external pressure tactic. Meanwhile, Musk continues to challenge OpenAI's direction, even suggesting a name change to "maximum profit AI" or "closed for voracious profit" to reflect its current trajectory.