OpenAI Lawyers Probe Meta’s Role in Musk’s $97B Takeover Bid
▼ Summary
– OpenAI subpoenaed Meta for documents related to Elon Musk’s $97 billion bid to acquire OpenAI, which was ultimately denied.
– OpenAI’s lawyers claim Musk communicated with Mark Zuckerberg about potential financing or investments for xAI’s bid to purchase OpenAI.
– Meta objected to the subpoena, and OpenAI is now seeking a court order to obtain evidence, including documents on OpenAI’s restructuring.
– Meta stated that neither it nor Zuckerberg signed Musk’s letter of intent to acquire OpenAI and declined further comment.
– The request is part of Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, which challenges the company’s conversion to a public benefit corporation.
OpenAI has formally requested that Meta provide documentation concerning any potential coordination with Elon Musk and xAI regarding a proposed acquisition or investment in the ChatGPT developer. This legal maneuver, detailed in a recent court filing, forms part of the ongoing litigation initiated by Musk against OpenAI. The company’s legal representatives disclosed that a subpoena was issued to Meta in June, seeking records tied to Musk’s unsolicited $97 billion takeover bid earlier this year. While the existence of such documents remains uncertain, OpenAI has confirmed it rejected the offer.
According to the filing, OpenAI’s attorneys uncovered communications between Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussing xAI’s attempt to purchase OpenAI, including conversations about financing and investment structures. Meta initially objected to the subpoena in July, prompting OpenAI to seek a court order to compel the production of evidence. The request also extends to any internal Meta documents or correspondence related to OpenAI’s restructuring or recapitalization, a central element in Musk’s legal challenge.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone referred to a portion of the filing which notes that neither Meta nor Zuckerberg signed Musk’s letter of intent to acquire OpenAI. The company declined to offer additional commentary. Representatives for OpenAI and Musk’s legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Behind the scenes of this legal dispute, Meta has been aggressively advancing its own artificial intelligence initiatives. Internal documents from a separate case revealed that in 2023, Meta executives were intensely focused on developing an AI model capable of surpassing OpenAI’s GPT-4. By early 2025, however, Meta’s models were reportedly lagging behind industry benchmarks, a situation that deeply frustrated Zuckerberg.
In response, Meta has ramped up its efforts in recent months, recruiting several high-profile AI researchers from OpenAI, including ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao, who now leads the newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs. The company has also made a $14 billion investment in Scale AI and explored acquisition opportunities with other AI laboratories.
Although the extent of discussions between Musk and Zuckerberg remains unclear, the possibility of collaboration between these two influential figures underscores the perceived threat posed by OpenAI. Several years ago, Musk famously challenged Zuckerberg to a cage match, a spectacle that never materialized, yet the rapid evolution of AI appears to have created common ground between the rivals.
The recent court filing is one component of Musk’s broader lawsuit, which contests OpenAI’s transition of its for-profit division into a public benefit corporation. This structural shift is essential for the company to attract investor funding and eventually pursue a public offering. Musk, an original co-founder and early backer of OpenAI, alleges that the reorganization contradicts the organization’s founding principles.
Meta’s legal team has urged the court to deny OpenAI’s evidentiary request, contending that Musk and xAI are capable of supplying any pertinent information. They further argue that Meta’s internal deliberations regarding OpenAI’s corporate changes are irrelevant to the case.
(Source: TechCrunch)
