OpenAI has asked Meta to release documents it believes could shed light on alleged conversations between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg concerning a proposed $97 billion buyout of the AI company.
The request stems from Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, in which he claims the organization has strayed from its founding non-profit mission. Court filings unsealed on Thursday revealed that OpenAI issued a subpoena to Meta in June, seeking records of discussions linked to Musk’s takeover offer, which was turned down earlier this year.
According to OpenAI’s legal team, evidence suggests that Musk and Zuckerberg exchanged messages about financing the deal through Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI. Meta, however, has pushed back against the subpoena, arguing in July that Musk or xAI should be the ones to provide such evidence.
In response, Meta highlighted that OpenAI’s own filing acknowledged neither Zuckerberg nor Meta had signed Musk’s letter of intent. The company has declined further comment.
The dispute is rooted in OpenAI’s decision to restructure as a public benefit corporation, a move Musk insists betrays its original charter. OpenAI argues the shift was essential to secure long-term funding and maintain its industry position. A judge previously rejected Musk’s bid to block the restructuring, ruling he had not shown sufficient grounds for success.
The legal wrangling comes amid intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence race. Meta has committed enormous resources to AI development, investing $14 billion in Scale AI this year and launching its new Meta Superintelligence Labs. The company has also been aggressively recruiting from rivals—poaching at least eight senior researchers from OpenAI in 2025 alone, including ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao, now leading Meta’s superintelligence efforts.
Despite the spending spree and high-profile hires, Meta’s AI projects have struggled. Court filings from a separate case revealed the company fell short in attempts to surpass OpenAI’s GPT-4, prompting Zuckerberg to step in personally with a new direction.
The saga also revives memories of Musk and Zuckerberg’s often public clashes, including Musk’s playful but never-realized cage-fight challenge. Yet, the latest filings suggest the two tech leaders may have entertained a temporary alignment of interests in order to counter OpenAI’s dominance.
OpenAI, meanwhile, has accused Musk of orchestrating “a relentless harassment campaign” aimed at undermining its operations while boosting xAI’s prospects.
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