A group of investors, led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, recently made a staggering $97.4 billion bid to acquire the nonprofit entity that controls OpenAI. However, the offer was swiftly rejected, highlighting the firm’s governance structure, which prevents any single individual or entity from seizing control.

Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI alongside Sam Altman, played a pivotal role in establishing the organization in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to the ethical development of artificial intelligence. However, he parted ways with the company in 2019, citing strategic disagreements. Since then, Musk has become one of OpenAI’s most vocal critics, accusing the company of straying from its original nonprofit mission by forming a for-profit subsidiary and partnering closely with Microsoft.

In recent years, OpenAI has shifted towards a hybrid structure, allowing it to secure billions in investment while maintaining a nonprofit oversight board. This transformation has fueled Musk’s concerns, leading him to file multiple legal complaints alleging that OpenAI is prioritizing commercial interests over public benefit. He claims that the company’s close ties with Microsoft could concentrate AI power in corporate hands, contradicting its original ethos of making AI advancements freely accessible to all.

The rejected bid underscores the ongoing tensions between Musk and OpenAI’s leadership. While the company remains committed to its current governance model, the debate over AI’s future—whether it should be controlled by open research initiatives or corporate giants—continues to shape the industry’s landscape. With AI technologies rapidly evolving, the conflict between profit motives and public responsibility is likely to remain a central issue in the years to come.