Court documents revealed that Elon Musk, in early 2025, approached Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seeking financial assistance for a proposed $97.4 billion acquisition of OpenAI. This revelation emerged within the ongoing legal battle between Musk and OpenAI, initiated last year in a Northern California federal court.
The judge recently allowed OpenAI to proceed with counterclaims against Musk, who co-founded the AI research company as a non-profit in 2015.
Musk’s February 2025 proposal stemmed from his disapproval of OpenAI’s transformation into a for-profit entity under CEO Sam Altman. The once close friends have become adversaries amidst OpenAI’s rise as a generative AI leader, backed by significant Microsoft funding. Musk’s subsequent creation of xAI, intended as a direct OpenAI competitor, further fueled the conflict.
Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI alleges a breach of contract, aiming to halt its for-profit conversion. OpenAI’s counterclaims accuse Musk and xAI of orchestrating a “sham bid” to harm their business, citing Musk’s alleged “harassment” via litigation and public attacks.
As part of its case, OpenAI subpoenaed Meta for communications between Zuckerberg and Musk regarding the takeover attempt.
OpenAI’s court filing states that Musk and xAI presented a letter of intent to Zuckerberg, seeking potential financing or investment.
While Zuckerberg and Meta ultimately did not participate, the filing highlights Meta’s significant investment in its own AI capabilities, including substantial compensation packages for AI researchers and attempts to recruit OpenAI employees.
Meta has contested OpenAI’s document requests as excessively burdensome.
