Elon Musk Sought Mark Zuckerberg’s Support for $97.4 Billion xAI Bid to Acquire OpenAI, Court Filing Reveals
August 22, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO — In a stunning revelation from a court filing made public on August 21, 2025, Elon Musk, CEO of xAI, approached Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in early 2025 to join a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The disclosure, part of an ongoing legal battle between Musk and OpenAI in a Northern California federal court, highlights the high-stakes maneuvering in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry as tech giants vie for dominance.
According to the filing, Musk reached out to Zuckerberg to discuss “potential financing arrangements or investments” for xAI’s unsolicited bid to purchase OpenAI in February 2025. Neither Zuckerberg nor Meta signed the letter of intent, and OpenAI’s board rejected the proposal, with CEO Sam Altman publicly dismissing it as “ridiculous” and asserting that the company was “not for sale.” The filing indicates that OpenAI’s lawyers are now seeking a court order to compel Meta to produce documents related to any communications with Musk or xAI, suspecting coordination in the takeover attempt. Meta has objected, arguing that its documents hold no evidence of collaboration and that Musk and xAI should provide the relevant information.
The lawsuit is part of a broader legal dispute initiated by Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI in 2015 alongside Altman and others, who left the company in 2018 over disagreements about its shift to a for-profit model. Musk’s xAI, launched in 2023 to compete directly with OpenAI, has since raised significant capital, including a $6 billion funding round in December 2024, valuing the company at $45 billion. Musk’s bid to acquire OpenAI aimed to reinstate its nonprofit status, aligning with his ongoing claims that the company has strayed from its original mission to advance AI for the public good.
This development adds intrigue to the complex rivalry between Musk and Zuckerberg, who have publicly clashed over issues ranging from AI ethics to social media platforms. Despite their history—including a 2023 challenge to a cage fight that never materialized—the possibility of collaboration underscores the competitive threat posed by OpenAI’s dominance in generative AI, bolstered by billions in funding from Microsoft. Posts on X reflect intense public interest, with users speculating about the strategic implications of such a partnership in the AI race.
Meta, which has invested heavily in its own AI capabilities, including $37 billion in infrastructure in 2024, declined to comment beyond the filing. OpenAI’s legal team is also seeking Meta’s records related to OpenAI’s potential restructuring into a for-profit public benefit corporation, a move Musk has repeatedly sought to block through litigation. The outcome of this legal skirmish could reshape the competitive landscape of the AI industry, with implications for innovation, investment, and regulatory oversight.
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