Elon Musk announced Friday evening that his artificial intelligence company, xAI, has acquired X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in a $45 billion deal. The sale price is slightly higher than the $44 billion Musk paid for the platform in 2022, but the agreement includes $12 billion in debt.
Musk shared the news on his X account, revealing that the deal values the company at $33 billion. “xAI and X’s futures are intertwined,” Musk wrote. “Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution, and talent. This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach.”
While Musk did not immediately announce any major changes to X, the platform has already integrated xAI’s chatbot, Grok. He emphasized that the merger will create “smarter, more meaningful experiences” and estimated the combined value of xAI and X at $80 billion.
Since acquiring Twitter in 2022, Musk has dramatically reshaped the platform, slashing 80% of its workforce, revamping its verification system, and reinstating controversial accounts. These changes prompted an exodus of major advertisers, and the company’s valuation plummeted.
Investment firm Fidelity estimated in October that X had