Rejecting TikTok Purchase, Elon Musk Targets This Company with a Deep Revenge
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia –A consortium led by Elon Musk has submitted a bid of US$97.4 billion (Rp1,591 trillion) to buy the non-profit entity that controls OpenAI. This action shows Musk’s ambition to prevent the company that created ChatGPT from becoming a profit-making corporation.
This news was immediately responded to by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman via X, Musk’s social media platform. “No thanks, but we’re willing to buy Twitter for US$97.4 billion if I may,” said Altman.
Together with Altman, Musk is one of the founders of OpenAI. They founded the entity as a non-profit institution. After Musk left, OpenAI began to transition into a for-profit company with the support of external investors, one of which was Microsoft. This change in form, according to Altman, was so that OpenAI could receive new investment to support efforts to create the most sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Musk then founded his own artificial intelligence (AI) startup called xAI. In August 2024, Musk sued Altman and several other parties for allegedly violating OpenAI’s founding contract. The contract, according to Musk, is that OpenAI must prioritize public interest over profit.
In November, Musk asked a judge to block OpenAI’s change in structure to a for-profit company.
The dispute between Musk and Altman over OpenAI has now entered a new chapter because of Musk’s closeness to US President Donald Trump. Musk, who spent around US$ 250 million to support Trump’s campaign, is now called a Trump confidant and has been appointed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Recently, Musk criticized the US$ 500 billion project led by OpenAI. Musk’s harsh criticism was thrown after the project called Stargate was announced by Trump.
“It’s time for OpenAI to return to being open-source, focused on safety for the common good like it used to be. We want to make sure that happens,” Musk said in a statement accompanying the acquisition offer.
Rejects buying TikTok
Musk previously confirmed that he was not interested in buying TikTok. The billionaire who now works for the Donald Trump administration said he had not submitted a purchase offer.
“I have not made an offer to buy TikTok. I have no plans if I own TikTok,” Musk said, quoted by Reuters, Monday (10/2/2025).
According to Musk, he did not acquire the company. What he did to Twitter, now called X, was unusual.
“I usually build companies from scratch,” he said.
Previously, ByteDance had to sell TikTok for the United States (US) market. The Joe Biden government gave a final target of January 19, 2025 for the sale.
The sale was made due to security allegations addressed to TikTok. On various occasions the US has continued to accuse China of being able to force companies to share US user data.
The platform has denied this, ByteDance also rejected the plan to sell TikTok.
But in the end the sale was postponed. TikTok said the delay was thanks to Trump’s help.
Trump said TikTok has a place in my heart. He called the video-sharing application the one that helped him win over young voters in the 2024 presidential election.
This week, Trump also signed an executive order to create a sovereign wealth fund this year. The policy has the potential to buy TikTok.
SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
