LOS ANGELES 91裸聊视频� A group of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit behind OpenAI, escalating a dispute with the artificial intelligence company that Musk helped found a decade ago.

Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a consortium of investment firms want to take control of the ChatGPT maker and revert it to as a nonprofit research lab, according to Musk91裸聊视频檚 attorney Marc Toberoff.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly rejected the unsolicited bid on Musk91裸聊视频檚 social platform X, saying, 91裸聊视频渘o thank you but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.91裸聊视频�

Musk bought Twitter, now called X, for $44 billion in 2022.

Musk and Altman, who together helped start OpenAI in 2015 and later competed over who should lead it, have been in a over the startup91裸聊视频檚 direction since Musk resigned from its board in 2018.

Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, last year, first in a California state court and later in federal court, alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab that would benefit the public good by safely building better-than-human AI. Musk had invested about $45 million in the startup from its founding until 2018, Toberoff has said.

The sudden success of ChatGPT two years ago brought worldwide fame and a new revenue stream to OpenAI and also heightened the internal battles over the future of the organization and the advanced AI it was trying to develop. Its nonprofit board fired Altman in late 2023. He came back days later with a new board.

Now a fast-growing business still controlled by a nonprofit board bound to its original mission, OpenAI last year announced plans to formally change its corporate structure. But such changes are complicated. Tax law requires money or assets donated to a tax-exempt organization to remain within the charitable sector.

If the initial organization becomes a for-profit, generally, a conversion is needed where the for-profit pays the fair market value of the assets to another charitable organization. Even if the nonprofit OpenAI continues to exist in some way, some experts argue it would have to be paid fair market value for any assets that get transferred to its for-profit subsidiaries.

Lawyers for OpenAI and Musk faced off in a California federal court last week as a judge weighed Musk91裸聊视频檚 request for a court order that would block the ChatGPT maker from converting itself to a for-profit company.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers hasn91裸聊视频檛 yet ruled on Musk91裸聊视频檚 request but in the courtroom said it was a 91裸聊视频渟tretch91裸聊视频� for Musk to claim he will be irreparably harmed if she doesn91裸聊视频檛 intervene to stop OpenAI from moving forward with its planned transition.

But the judge also raised concerns about OpenAI and its relationship with business partner Microsoft and said she wouldn91裸聊视频檛 stop the case from moving to trial as soon as next year so a jury can decide.

91裸聊视频淚t is plausible that what Mr. Musk is saying is true. We91裸聊视频檒l find out. He91裸聊视频檒l sit on the stand,91裸聊视频� she said.

Along with Musk and xAI, others backing the bid announced Monday include Baron Capital Group, Valor Management, Atreides Management, Vy Fund, Emanuel Capital Management and Eight Partners VC.

Toberoff said in a statement that if Altman and OpenAI91裸聊视频檚 current board 91裸聊视频渁re intent on becoming a fully for-profit corporation, it is vital that the charity be fairly compensated for what its leadership is taking away from it: control over the most transformative technology of our time.91裸聊视频�

Musk91裸聊视频檚 attorney also shared a letter he sent in early January to the attorneys general of California, where OpenAI operates, and Delaware, where it is incorporated.

Since both state offices must 91裸聊视频渆nsure any such transactional process relating to OpenAI91裸聊视频檚 charitable assets provides at least fair market value to protect the public91裸聊视频檚 beneficial interest, we assume you will provide a process for competitive bidding to actually determine that fair market value,91裸聊视频� Toberoff wrote, asking for more information on the terms and timing of that bidding process.

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The Associated Press and OpenAI have that allows OpenAI access to part of AP91裸聊视频檚 text archives.

Matt O91裸聊视频檅rien, The Associated Press