Elon Musk’s offer to buy OpenAI is drawing pity from the company’s CEO, Sam Altman.

One day after a Musk-led team of investors submitted a $97.4 billion bid to take control of the nonprofit behind ChatGPT, OpenAI co-founder Altman weighed in on the proposal during the AI Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday.

Dismissing the move as a publicity stunt, Altman told Bloomberg TV, “Elon tries all sorts of things for a long time. This is the latest — you know, this week’s episode. I think he’s probably just trying to slow us down.”

Musk, who helped co-found OpenAI in 2015 and left the company in 2018, is currently at the helm of his own artificial intelligence venture, xAI.

Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, OpenAI has remained the more prominent player in the generative AI game. At the conference, Altman said Musk and his associate’s business offer was merely a ploy to sabotage OpenAI’s success.

“I wish he would just compete by building a better product, but I think there’s been a lot of tactics,” Altman said.

The unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI is the latest and most aggressive maneuver Musk has used to undermine OpenAI and Altman, who he has openly feuded with for years.

Since founding xAI in 2023, the SpaceX CEO has filed a number of lawsuits against Altman and OpenAI, challenging the company’s complicated status as a for-profit venture nested within a nonprofit organization.

OpenAI’s dual structure has allowed it to fund its AI research through billions of dollars in investment and product sales — money which Musk says is in conflict with the company’s founding mission to create AI that benefits all of humanity.

While Musk maintains his issues with OpenAI are based on principles, Altman told Bloomberg TV he believes the rivalry is deeply personal.

Asked if he thought Musk’s persistent attacks on OpenAI were motivated by insecurity, Altman said, “Probably. His whole life is from a position of insecurity. I feel for the guy. I don’t think he’s, like, a happy person. I do feel for him.”

After Musk and his company’s nearly 12-figure offer made news on Monday, Altman rebuffed the proposal in a post on X.

“No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” he quipped.

Musk, who purchased the social media platform for $44 billion in 2022, called Altman a “swindler” in return.