Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has publicly responded to recent reports surrounding Elon Musk's bid to acquire the artificial intelligence company for $97.4 billion.

During an interview with Bloomberg Television at the Paris AI Summit, Altman characterized Musk's actions as driven by a 'position of insecurity.' He expressed, 'Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity,' extending sympathy towards Musk while questioning his happiness.

Musk's acquisition offer, as reported by The New York Times, represents an unsolicited bid involving a coalition of investors led by Musk, including notable venture firms such as 8VC, Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, Vy Capital, and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel.

Altman has firmly rejected the proposal, stating that OpenAI is 'not for sale.'

Responding to Musk's bid, Altman remarked on social media platform X, suggesting humorously, 'No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.' In turn, Musk described Altman as a 'swindler.'

Musk's stated intentions involve a desire for OpenAI to return to being an 'open-source, safety-focused force for good,' a sentiment he has expressed publicly.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Musk's acquisition proposal, while coverage by The New York Times noted that OpenAI had not yet formally evaluated the offer.

The timing of Musk's bid may impact OpenAI's efforts to finalize another significant funding round, reportedly worth $40 billion.

This funding round, spearheaded by the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, could potentially increase OpenAI's valuation to approximately $300 billion, positioning it among the world's most highly valued private companies, alongside Musk's SpaceX and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.

Musk's bid and Altman's subsequent dismissal highlight ongoing tensions in the tech and AI sectors and raise questions about the future direction of OpenAI amidst rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.