Elon Musk-led group makes $97.4 billion bid for control of OpenAI, WSJ reports

(Reuters) -A consortium of investors led by billionaire Elon Musk is offering $97.4 billion to buy the nonprofit that controls artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, said he submitted the bid to OpenAI’s board on Monday, according to the report.

“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” the WSJ cited Musk as saying in a statement provided by Toberoff. “We will make sure that happens.”

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Anil D’Silva)