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Elon Musk-led group makes $97.4bn bid for OpenAI
A consortium led by Elon Musk said it has offered $97.4bn to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, months after the billionaire sued the artificial intelligence startup to block it from transitioning to a for-profit firm.
Musk’s bid, revealed on Monday, could ratchet up longstanding tensions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the future of the startup at the heart of a boom in generative AI technology.
Altman promptly posted on X: “No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
The two are already embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit. Musk criticised a $500bn OpenAI-led project called Stargate announced with great fanfare at the White House just after United States President Donald Trump returned to office, suggesting the investors involved lacked the funding for the project.
“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk said in the press release. “We will make sure that happens.”
OpenAI, Musk, Musk’s lawyer Marc Toberoff and OpenAI backer Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Reuters news agency.
The bid is being backed by Musk’s AI company xAI, which could merge with OpenAI following a deal, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported Musk’s offer earlier on Monday.
Even without any antitrust implications, a deal this size would need Musk and his consortium to raise enormous funds.
OpenAI was valued at $157bn in its latest funding round in October, cementing its status as one of the most valuable private companies in the world. SoftBank Group is in talks to lead a funding round of up to $40bn in OpenAI at a valuation of $300bn, including the new funds, the Reuters news agency reported in January.
Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015, but left before the company took off. He founded the competing AI startup xAI in 2023.
OpenAI is now trying to transition into a for-profit from a nonprofit entity, which it says is required to secure the capital needed for developing the best artificial intelligence models.
Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman says the founders originally approached him to fund a nonprofit focused on developing AI to benefit humanity, but that it was now focused on making money.
[Aljazeera]
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to appoint Ms. P. M. Jayadeera (Engineer) in the Special Grade of Sri Lanka Engineering Service serving at present as the Additional Secretary (Water Resources Development) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to the post of Director General which will be vacant from 06.10.2026.
Approval has been granted at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 08.06.2026 to prepare a draft bill for restructuring Sri Lanka Cricket.
Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated Sri Lanka draft bill providing legal provisions for the administration of Sri
Lanka Cricket, control, regulation, promotion, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for the development and administration, through the concepts of better governance, integrity, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and providing equal opportunities for the betterment of the cricket sport, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for securing the wellbeing of all participants and securing cricket from corruption and other mal practices.
Clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the said draft bill. Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been received for the resolution furnished by the Minister of
Youth Affairs and Sports to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Latest News
Appointment of Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Organization of 79th Independence Day Commemoration
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Council, and Local Government to appoint a Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by the Prime Minister and with the participation of relevant Ministers, to organize and direct the affairs of the country’s 79th Independence Day Commemoration
Ceremony, which falls on 2027-02-04.
Ms. P. M. Jayadeera (Engineer) appointed Director General of Irrigation
Sri Lanka Cricket Draft Bill to be gazetted
Cabinet approves purchase of machinery for the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation
Cabinet approval for Project to Build Secure, Skilled, and Empowered Community for families resettled at the at Kalinga Mawatha, housing scheme
Appointment of Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Organization of 79th Independence Day Commemoration
Establishment of New Management Framework for the Dr. Nevil Fernando Hospital
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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