Elon Musk Approached Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with $97 Billion Plan to Buy OpenAI, Claims Company
In a surprising twist to the ongoing drama surrounding OpenAI, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk allegedly approached Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a staggering $97.4 billion proposal earlier this year to acquire the artificial intelligence company. According to recent court filings, Musk floated the idea in February, suggesting Zuckerberg could help finance the massive takeover bid.
The revelation adds another layer to the already heated battle between Musk and OpenAI, a company he co-founded in 2015 but later parted ways with. Musk has since accused OpenAI of abandoning its original mission to remain non-profit and transparent, claiming it has become a profit-driven enterprise under CEO Sam Altman’s leadership.
Musk’s $97.4 Billion Proposal
Court documents reveal that Musk reached out to Zuckerberg, pitching the idea of pooling resources to buy OpenAI. The proposed takeover would have required a staggering $97.4 billion in financing, making it one of the largest acquisition attempts in tech history.
Musk’s reasoning, as per the filing, stemmed from his belief that OpenAI was no longer aligned with its original goal of advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Instead, he argued, it had transformed into a profit-driven company, a move Musk strongly opposed.
While it remains unclear how seriously Zuckerberg considered Musk’s pitch, the fact that such a proposal was even made has sparked intense debate in both the technology and financial worlds.
The Musk-OpenAI Fallout
Musk was one of the early backers of OpenAI, investing millions of dollars and lending credibility to the organization when it launched in 2015. The company began as a non-profit with the mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) would benefit all of humanity.
However, Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018, citing potential conflicts of interest with Tesla’s own AI ambitions. Since then, his criticism of the company has only intensified. Musk argues that OpenAI’s decision to create a for-profit arm, and its subsequent partnership with Microsoft, contradicts its founding principles.
Earlier this year, Musk escalated matters by filing a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company and Altman of breaching their original agreement. He claimed OpenAI’s current trajectory prioritizes profits and corporate deals over ethical AI development.
Zuckerberg’s Role in the Story
Mark Zuckerberg, as the CEO of Meta, is no stranger to the AI race. Meta has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, focusing on areas such as generative models, virtual reality, and the metaverse. By Musk’s logic, Zuckerberg would have been a strategic partner to take over OpenAI, providing both financial backing and technical expertise.
But partnering with Musk comes with its own risks. The two billionaires have clashed publicly in the past, especially over AI. Musk has often criticized Zuckerberg for underestimating the risks of artificial intelligence, while Zuckerberg has dismissed Musk’s warnings as overly dramatic.
Given this history, the prospect of a collaboration between the two seemed far-fetched from the beginning. Still, Musk’s proposal demonstrates just how far he was willing to go to regain influence over OpenAI.
Industry Reactions
The revelation of Musk’s $97.4 billion proposal has caused waves across the tech industry. Experts say the bid, if it had been taken seriously, could have reshaped the landscape of AI development.
- A Musk-Zuckerberg alliance would have combined two of the most influential names in technology, potentially rivaling Microsoft’s dominance in AI.
- It also would have raised concerns about centralizing too much AI power in the hands of a few billionaires.
- Investors and regulators alike would have closely scrutinized such a deal, especially given the growing calls for AI oversight.
Many analysts believe that even if the takeover had materialized, it would have faced significant regulatory hurdles across the US and Europe.
Musk’s Larger Strategy
The attempted takeover highlights Musk’s broader ambitions in the AI space. Through ventures like Tesla and xAI, Musk has been developing his own AI tools and platforms, including a chatbot designed to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
By acquiring OpenAI, Musk would have gained direct control over one of the most advanced AI labs in the world. The proposal also underscores Musk’s frustration at being sidelined from a company he helped create.
His lawsuit against OpenAI further signals his determination to challenge its current path, even if it means dragging the company into lengthy legal battles.
OpenAI’s Transformation Under Scrutiny
At the heart of this story is OpenAI’s evolution from a non-profit to a capped-profit company. While this model still places limits on financial returns, critics like Musk argue that it undermines the organization’s original ethos of prioritizing humanity over profits.
Supporters of OpenAI counter that partnerships with companies like Microsoft have been essential for scaling its research and computing needs. Without such deals, they argue, OpenAI would not have been able to develop tools like ChatGPT at the speed and scale it has achieved.
This debate has become symbolic of larger questions about the future of AI: Should it be controlled by private corporations, governments, or independent non-profits?
What Comes Next
The court filings shed light on Musk’s increasingly aggressive approach toward OpenAI. While the $97.4 billion proposal may never move forward, the fact that Musk considered it shows his determination to shape the AI landscape.
For Zuckerberg and Meta, the incident highlights the growing competition in AI. Even if Meta never entertained Musk’s proposal, the company remains deeply invested in building its own AI systems to stay competitive.
As for OpenAI, the legal battles with Musk could complicate its operations at a time when it faces immense pressure to innovate, manage public trust, and respond to calls for regulation.
A Billionaire Battle Over AI’s Future
The revelation that Elon Musk approached Mark Zuckerberg with a $97.4 billion proposal to buy OpenAI adds yet another twist to the high-stakes drama in the artificial intelligence world. While the deal never came to fruition, it highlights Musk’s ongoing battle with a company he once co-founded and now fiercely opposes.
Whether Musk’s lawsuit succeeds or not, the tensions surrounding OpenAI’s shift toward a profit-driven model are unlikely to fade. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg’s cautious distance from Musk’s plan suggests that even among tech titans, partnerships are far from guaranteed.
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