OpenAI has quietly embarked on creating its own social networking service, modeled closely on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). An early prototype, already circulating in internal trials, centers on ChatGPT’s image-generation features, crafting a visually driven feed designed to foster sharing and engagement.
Per Reuters, this initiative signals OpenAI’s intent to stake a claim in the social-content arena. CEO Sam Altman has been soliciting candid feedback from outside advisors, weighing whether to launch the service as a standalone app or fold it into the existing ChatGPT interface.
This push unfolds against a backdrop of escalating friction with Musk, who in February 2025 made a $97.4 billion unsolicited offer to acquire OpenAI’s nonprofit parent. The board rejected the bid on February 14, reaffirming its commitment to pursuing artificial general intelligence (AGI) “for the greater good” and dismissing any similar proposals as disingenuous. Musk’s lawyer had blasted OpenAI’s conversion into a public benefit corporation as a self-serving move benefiting certain board members at the expense of its charitable mission.
Altman shared on X “No, thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
That public quip underscored the deepening rivalry between two founding figures of OpenAI. Their relationship soured following Musk’s 2024 lawsuit challenging OpenAI’s restructuring, a suit he later withdrew before filing anew in August. OpenAI responded with its own countersuit, accusing Musk of harassment and seeking a federal injunction to halt further alleged misconduct.
Launching a social platform also aligns with OpenAI’s broader strategy to harvest real-time, user-generated data, critical fuel for training AI systems. Just as X and Meta leverage user interactions to refine their own models (Grok and Llama, respectively), OpenAI envisions this new network not only as a data source but as a creative canvas for users, potentially transforming ChatGPT into an interactive hub for multimedia sharing and live conversation.
