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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he feels sorry for rival Elon Musk after rejecting a potentially seismic deal that could shape the future of artificial intelligence.
Stating categorically that “OpenAi is not for sale”, Altman told Bloomberg TV during an interview, “Elon tries all sorts of things for a long time. This is the latest — you know, this week’s episode. I think he’s probably just trying to slow us down.”
Musk, along with a group of investors, has offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion. The OpenAI board will have to consider the massive offer, but it’s unclear whether it will seriously entertain it if it believes Musk will divert from the company’s mission. Knowing Musk, he’s likely to.
Musk, an OpenAI cofounder who eventually left the company, has long feuded with Altman and has filed a number of legal complaints against OpenAI and Altman. Musk is now a competitor, having started his own AI company called x.AI.
“I wish he would just compete by building a better product, but I think there’s been a lot of tactics,” Altman said in the interview. “Many, many lawsuits, all sorts of other crazy stuff, now this. And we’ll try to just put our head down and keep working.”
Speaking to Musk’s new position as head choirboy for the Trump administration, and whether OpenAI should be worried about his newly-acquired powers, Altman says, “Maybe I should, but not particularly. I try to just wake up and think about like, how we’re going to make our technology better.”
When asked whether Musk is approaching his strategy to combat OpenAI from “a position of insecurity”, Altman agreed, saying “Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity.”
“I feel for the guy. I don’t think he’s, like, a happy person. I do feel for him.”
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Someone had to say it. Altman doesn’t seem to be phased by Musk’s attempts to take over the AI space and took a dig at the Doge billionaire by offering to buy X for $9.74 billion instead.
no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 10, 2025
However this plays out, OpenAI will likely face several more challenges from Musk in the coming years. Just like his boss, if Elon wants something, he will do anything to get it.
[Source: CNN]
