OpenAI is asking Meta to hand over documents related to possible discussions with Elon Musk and xAI about investing in or acquiring the ChatGPT-maker. The request was revealed in a filing Thursday as part of Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI.
Lawyers for OpenAI said they subpoenaed Meta in June, seeking information tied to Musk’s $97 billion takeover bid earlier this year — a bid OpenAI ultimately rejected. They allege Musk communicated with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about financing or investment opportunities connected to the bid.
Meta Pushes Back
Meta initially objected to the subpoena in July, but OpenAI is now asking the court to enforce its request. The company is seeking evidence tied not only to Musk’s bid but also to any discussions Meta may have held about restructuring or recapitalizing OpenAI — a central issue in the lawsuit.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pointed to the filing itself, which confirms neither Zuckerberg nor Meta signed Musk’s letter of intent. Beyond that, Meta declined to comment further.
While Musk’s interest in OpenAI remains contentious, Meta has been building its own AI empire. Court filings from 2023 revealed that Meta executives were determined to create an AI model capable of surpassing OpenAI’s GPT-4. But by early 2025, Meta’s models had fallen behind, frustrating Zuckerberg.
To catch up, Meta has invested billions into AI, including $14 billion for a nearly half-stake in Scale AI, while also poaching OpenAI talent such as Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT who now leads research at Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Ongoing Legal Dispute
Musk’s lawsuit hinges on OpenAI’s 2019 decision to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation, a move necessary to secure funding and potential future IPO plans. Musk argues the shift violated OpenAI’s original nonprofit mission.
Meta’s legal team has asked the court to dismiss OpenAI’s demands, arguing Musk and xAI are the appropriate parties to provide relevant evidence, not Meta.
What The Author Thinks
What’s striking here is the possibility that Musk and Zuckerberg — two men who once joked about fighting each other in a cage — may have even considered teaming up over AI. It shows how high the stakes are in this race. When rivals this fierce start talking, it isn’t about friendship; it’s about survival. Both see OpenAI as the biggest obstacle to their ambitions, and if the world’s richest men are willing to set aside ego to weaken a common competitor, it highlights just how disruptive OpenAI has become in reshaping the tech landscape.
Featured image credit: Freepik
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