OpenAI has requested that Meta provide evidence regarding any potential collaboration with Elon Musk and his company, xAI, in relation to Musk’s $97 billion bid to acquire the ChatGPT-maker.

The request, made public in a court filing on Thursday, forms part of Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI.

According to the filing, OpenAI’s legal team issued a subpoena to Meta in June, seeking documents that could reveal Meta’s possible involvement in Musk’s unsolicited acquisition attempt earlier this year.

OpenAI ultimately rejected Musk’s proposal, though it remains unclear if the requested documents exist.

Lawyers for OpenAI indicated that Musk held discussions with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg concerning xAI’s bid, including possible financing arrangements and investment opportunities.

Meta initially objected to the subpoena in July, prompting OpenAI to now pursue a court order compelling Meta to release any relevant records.

The request also extends to documents and communications tied to “any actual or potential restructuring or recapitalization of OpenAI” — an issue central to Musk’s broader lawsuit.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pointed to a section of the filing noting that neither Meta nor Zuckerberg signed Musk’s letter of intent.

Beyond that, Meta declined further comment. OpenAI and Musk’s legal representatives did not immediately respond to inquiries.

This legal dispute comes as Meta intensifies its own investment in artificial intelligence.

In 2023, company executives focused heavily on building a model to surpass OpenAI’s GPT-4, though by early 2025 Meta’s efforts reportedly lagged behind the industry standard — a situation said to have frustrated Zuckerberg.

In response, Meta ramped up recruitment, hiring several top AI researchers from OpenAI, including Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT, who now leads Meta Superintelligence Labs.

The company also invested $14 billion in Scale AI and explored potential acquisition opportunities with other AI firms.

While the extent of discussions between Musk and Zuckerberg remains uncertain, the possibility of collaboration underscores the scale of competition within the AI sector.

This is particularly striking given the billionaires’ history — only two years ago Musk suggested a physical “cage match” against Zuckerberg, a fight that never materialized.

Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI centers on the organization’s decision to restructure into a public benefit corporation, a move designed to attract investor funding and potentially pave the way for a public listing.

Musk, a cofounder and early backer of OpenAI, argues that the restructuring undermines the company’s founding mission and seeks to challenge its legitimacy.

Meta’s lawyers, however, are urging the court to dismiss OpenAI’s request for documents. They contend that any relevant information can be obtained directly from Musk and xAI, and that Meta’s internal deliberations regarding OpenAI’s restructuring are irrelevant to the case.

The dispute highlights the high-stakes battle among leading tech companies as they compete for dominance in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Source: Tech Crunch