The HN title is quite a misleading alteration of the actual title.
There's no mention that the startup "refused" the buyout, and it was unclear why the negotiations fell apart.
The actual article is simply titled "Tesla offered $325 million for Salton Sea startup".
And here's a quote from the article giving a different picture : "The person with knowledge of the negotiations told a slightly different story, saying Musk shut down all discussions after seeing the $2.5 billion valuation from Jefferies. According to that source, Musk abruptly ended all negotiations after reviewing the valuation, never giving Simbol the chance to present a counteroffer to his proposed $325 million purchase price."
There's no mention that the startup "refused" the buyout, and it was unclear why the negotiations fell apart.
The actual article is simply titled "Tesla offered $325 million for Salton Sea startup".
And here's a quote from the article giving a different picture : "The person with knowledge of the negotiations told a slightly different story, saying Musk shut down all discussions after seeing the $2.5 billion valuation from Jefferies. According to that source, Musk abruptly ended all negotiations after reviewing the valuation, never giving Simbol the chance to present a counteroffer to his proposed $325 million purchase price."