“Nerd version of Kendrick vs Drake”: Internet in splits as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s declines Elon Musk buyout offer

When tech billionaires Elon Musk and Sam Altman went head-to-head, Twitter was bound to light up with comparisons to pop culture (read: Kendrick and Drake). After Elon Musk’s group offered $9.74 billion to buy out OpenAI, Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, threw a bit of a curveball. Instead of considering the deal, Altman reportedly responded,

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

One Twitter user immediately jumped into the conversation with the now-viral tweet.

"This fight is the nerd version of Kendrick vs Drake," turning a serious corporate standoff into a series of who'sseit tweet will blow up more.

The dispute between Musk and Altman appears to be about more than simply AI; it's about who can make the most questionable offer, as seen by the many fan reactions that are exploding on the internet. Let's dive in!

---

The AI battle between Sam Altman and Elon Musk sparks internet memes and comparisons to rap feuds

The moment Altman’s response hit the web, Twitter users wasted no time roasting both tech titans with classic Gen Z chronically online humor. Tweets like,

“How do you convert a non-profit into a profit? [rhetorical]” poked fun at the ongoing debate around OpenAI’s structure and its evolution from a nonprofit into a for-profit enterprise.

Others saw Altman’s response as a sign of him defending his turf, with one user tweeting,

“Haha Sama worried about his job!!!!”

But it wasn’t just Altman under fire—people had their fair share of jabs for Musk, too. A user joked,

"Lol why is he buying it now and not before when it was cheap af," referencing Twitter's plummeting valuation.

Another user posted,

"Elon Musk offering CEO Sam Altman $97,420,690,000 for OpenAI.." accompanied by a hilarious GIF of a baby holding a bundle of money.

The jokes didn’t stop there—many people brought up Musk’s initial involvement with OpenAI.

“Didn't Elon fund OpenAI?” one tweet noted, pointing out the irony of Musk trying to buy back into a company he once helped create.

---

OpenAI, Elon Musk, and the bidding wars of tech

There is more to Elon and Sam's conflict than their sly bids to acquire OpenAI and Twitter, respectively. Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI in 2015, whose goal was to guarantee that artificial general intelligence would be advantageous to all people. However, OpenAI made the controversial decision to switch to a "capped-profit" model as its strength and influence increased, allowing it to make money while continuing to concentrate on its original charitable objectives. After leaving the firm in 2018 amid disputes over its future, Musk recently made news when he led a group that offered $9.74 billion for ownership of OpenAI. Given his prior affiliation with the company, this is a well, quite a meaningful amount.

Sam Altman's witty response about purchasing Twitter is more than a light-hearted joke. It draws attention to the strange and even ridiculous bidding wars that surround contemporary IT firms—and fiery CEOs who seemingly love to tweet about said bidding wars. Musk’s Twitter acquisition last year stirred controversy, and Altman’s cheeky offer to reverse roles has left many questioning why these two billionaires seem to trade massive tech assets like Pokémon cards.

And of course, since it’s 2025, everything has to be framed around digestible pop culture references. People here have compared the Altman vs. Musk rivalry to the infamous Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar feud—an ongoing clash of two titans in their respective industries. The IT industry now has its own infamous rivalry, with Altman and Musk fighting for supremacy—not on the charts, but in the field of artificial intelligence—much like how fans used to watch Drake and Kendrick exchange lyrical jabs.