Did Elon Musk And Mark Zuckerberg Secretly Plan A $97B ChatGPT Bid? OpenAI Wants Meta To Answer

The legal drama around OpenAI and Elon Musk just got more interesting. OpenAI has asked Meta to share documents that could show whether Mark Zuckerberg secretly discussed teaming up with Musk on a $97 billion bid to buy OpenAI earlier this year. The request, revealed in a new court filing, is part of Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker, TechCrunch reported.  Also Read: OpenAI Confirms Adult-Only ChatGPT With Custom Personalities And Erotic Conversations

Back in February, Musk made a surprise offer through his AI startup, xAI, to acquire OpenAI. The proposal was quickly shot down by CEO Sam Altman, who called it “ridiculous” and reminded everyone that OpenAI is “not for sale.” Also Read: Forget ChatGPT And Gemini Nano Banana! Microsoft Launches MAI-Image-1 - The In House Text-To-Image Tool

How Meta Is Involved In This

According to OpenAI’s lawyers, there are indications that Musk and Zuckerberg communicated about the OpenAI takeover plan. That’s why Meta was subpoenaed in June for any records of conversations, financing discussions, or investment proposals related to Musk’s bid. Also Read: Meta Wants Employees To Build The Metaverse 5X Faster Using AI

Meta, however, pushed back in July, saying such documents weren’t relevant to the lawsuit. Now, OpenAI is asking the court to force Meta to comply. The company also wants access to internal Meta discussions about OpenAI’s restructuring. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pointed out that neither Zuckerberg nor Meta ever signed Musk’s letter of intent. Beyond that, Meta has refused to comment further.

Elon Musk vs OpenAI

The dispute shows the rivalry between Elon Musk and OpenAI. It must be noted that Elon Musk co-founded the company in 2015 but left in 2018. Since then, he has accused OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission and launched xAI as a competitor.

Meta’s name surfacing here adds an unexpected twist. Zuckerberg and Musk have had some news in the past – from public arguments over rockets to jokes about cage fights. Yet in the AI race, the idea that they might even consider working together surely shows that OpenAI is still one of the top competitors for all. 

Now, the court will decide whether Meta must hand over the requested documents. If it does, we might finally know how much.