- OpenAI has accused Meta of backing Elon Musk's $97B takeover attempt through "financing arrangements".
- OpenAI has subpoenaed Meta for documents or communications between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, in relation to the failed bid.
- Meta has not issued a formal statement so far.
Remember, in February this year, Elon Musk tried to take over OpenAI with an unsolicited $97.6 billion bid? Well, the offer was unanimously rejected by OpenAI’s board, but recent court filings reveal that Elon Musk allegedly reached out to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, exploring “about potential financing arrangements or investments” for the bid.
Lawyers representing OpenAI subpoenaed Meta in June 2025, asking for any documents or communications between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, in relation to funding arrangements, or “any actual or potential restructuring or recapitalization of OpenAI.” Meta objected to the request in July, but now OpenAI is asking the court to compel Meta to provide documents.
While Meta has not given an official statement yet, the company’s spokesperson, Andy Stone, told TechCrunch that OpenAI’s own filing says that Meta or Zuckerberg didn’t sign Musk’s letter of intent to purchase the company.
The tension between OpenAI and Meta has escalated after Zuckerberg went on a poaching spree, hiring many top AI researchers from OpenAI. Back then, reacting to Meta’s aggressive poaching, OpenAI’s chief research officer, Mark Chen, wrote in a memo, “I feel a visceral feeling right now, as if someone has broken into our home and stolen something.”
Now, with allegations that Meta aided Musk in his attempt to take over OpenAI, the conflict has gotten worse. Earlier, in response to Musk’s lawsuit, OpenAI had hit back, saying he was running a “campaign of harassment.” Meanwhile, the WSJ reports that Meta has stopped its AI hiring spree.
