The clash between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has escalated, with Musk leading a $97.4 billion bid to acquire the non-profit controlling OpenAI. His goal? To restore OpenAI to its original open-source, research-focused mission.

Meanwhile, Altman is considering restructuring OpenAI into a fully for-profit company to secure funding for AI advancements.

In response to Musk's takeover attempt, Altman mocked him on social media, offering to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion, referencing Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the platform, which later lost value. Musk hit back, calling Altman a "swindler" and labeling him "Scam Altman" in a post.

Their rivalry isn't new. Musk co-founded OpenAI but later became a vocal critic, accusing Altman of prioritizing profits over ethical AI development. In 2023, Musk launched his own AI company, xAI, and later sued OpenAI over its ties with Microsoft.

The tension deepened in 2025 when Donald Trump praised Altman's leadership and partnered with him for a $500 billion AI project called Stargate. Musk dismissed the initiative as financially dubious and continued his attacks on Altman.