A consortium of investors led by Elon Musk’s x.AI offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion last week. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has dismissed the proposal, which would gum up OpenAI’s planned conversion from a non-profit, something Musk is attempting to block in a lawsuit.
Altman’s lawyers argued in a Wednesday filing that Musk can’t have it both ways: attempt to buy OpenAI’s assets and also try to stop it from changing its non-profit status. Musk’s team responded that it would withdraw the bid if OpenAI ceased its attempts to convert itself from a non-profit.
Meanwhile, as a part of these filings, the full letter of intent from Musk’s team to buy OpenAI was made public.
Here’s 5 key details we learned from that letter and other legal filings to shed light on this ongoing, and rather messy, dispute.
The unsolicited offer from Musk’s group comes with a specific expiration date: May 10, 2025. There are exceptions to the deadline if the deal is finalized beforehand, both sides agree to end discussions, or OpenAI formally rejects the offer in writing.
Despite Altman’s public dismissals, including a joking counteroffer to buy X for a tenth of the price, OpenAI’s board hasn’t formally rejected the offer yet as boards are typically required to legally evaluate such offers, even from competitors.
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