Elon Musk offered $97.4 billion for OpenAI. Sam Altman answered in one line:

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"no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want"

Exactly one tenth of the offer. Musk replied with one word. "Swindler."

The two started OpenAI together in 2015 as a nonprofit. Musk left the board in 2018 and has been fighting Altman ever since, including in court.

The bid landed in February 2025, right when OpenAI was trying to turn itself into a for-profit company. A few days later OpenAI's board rejected it unanimously. Altman's own guess was that Musk was "probably just trying to slow us down."

I don't think either of them expected a sale. Musk's offer made OpenAI's restructuring harder and more expensive. Altman's reply turned a serious legal move into a meme the whole internet shared.

Still, it's wild to watch two of the richest men in tech fight like this over a company they started together.

Categories: AI and Technology Destroying America

Tags: ai musk altman