Why Tesla CEO Elon Musk said ‘Good question’ after OpenAI-AMD deal announcement

Following the announcement that OpenAI could receive a 10% ownership stake in AMD as part of a new chip partnership, Elon Musk immediately questioned the move, asking a "Good question" about the ownership of OpenAI's nonprofit parent. Musk has repeatedly attacked the company's structure and criticised its shift away from its original mission. At one point, he even called CEO Sam Altman "Scam Altman.".

Tesla CEO’s ‘Good Question’ post quotes a financial analysis highlighting OpenAI's massive funding—$100B from Nvidia, option for 10% AMD stake, $500B Stargate project, and $500B valuation—questioning its nonprofit parent ownership, and signaling skepticism amid xAI competition.

These claims align with 2025 announcements: Nvidia's phased $100B infrastructure investment (September), AMD's chip deal with 10% warrant option (October), Stargate's $500B multi-year buildout with Oracle and SoftBank (January onward), and a $6.6B share sale confirming the $500B valuation (early October).

OpenAI has a nonprofit governing board

OpenAI maintains a nonprofit governing board overseeing its capped-profit subsidiary, a structure updated in May 2025 to a Public Benefit Corporation model retaining nonprofit control.

It is to be noted that Microsoft and OpenAI signed a non-binding agreement in September to finalise the terms of their relationship. Under the new agreement, OpenAI is allowed to restructure into a for-profit company and secure more compute power by partnering with other firms like Oracle. The deal also aims to balance OpenAI's need for broader partnerships and compute independence with Microsoft's desire for continued access to OpenAI's advanced AI models.

The key terms include the nonprofit arm receiving over $100 billion, though details on Microsoft's ownership stake and exclusive access remain undisclosed.