The drama in the AI world just got spicier — and yes, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are right in the middle of it again.
OpenAI is now knocking on Meta’s door, asking the tech giant to hand over evidence that could reveal any behind-the-scenes plans with Musk and his AI company, xAI, to either invest in or outright buy OpenAI.
According to a court filing made public last Thursday, OpenAI’s lawyers revealed that they had subpoenaed Meta back in June for documents linked to Musk’s unsolicited $97 billion bid to acquire OpenAI earlier this year. The filing didn’t confirm whether such documents exist, but one thing is clear: OpenAI didn’t just reject Musk’s massive bid — it wants to know how deep his conversations with Meta actually went.
The legal filing even suggests that Musk had direct communications with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, discussing potential financing and investment arrangements. However, Meta reportedly pushed back against the subpoena in July. Now, OpenAI wants the court to force Meta to comply and release any related documents — especially those tied to OpenAI’s corporate restructuring, which sits at the heart of Musk’s ongoing lawsuit.
When asked for comments, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone simply pointed to a line in the court filing clarifying that neither Meta nor Zuckerberg signed Musk’s letter of intent to buy OpenAI. Beyond that, Meta stayed mum. OpenAI and Musk’s legal teams haven’t responded to media inquiries either.
All of this unfolds as Meta races to play catch-up in the AI arms race. In 2023, court filings revealed that Meta executives were laser-focused on building a model to outshine OpenAI’s GPT-4. Fast forward to 2025, and not only has Meta lagged behind the industry’s pace, but the frustration has reportedly reached Zuckerberg’s desk.
In response, Zuck has gone full throttle — poaching top OpenAI researchers like Shengjia Zhao, one of ChatGPT’s co-creators, and pouring $14 billion into Scale AI while exploring deals with other AI labs.
The kicker? Just two years ago, Musk was challenging Zuckerberg to a literal cage fight. While the match never happened, the booming AI industry may have forced the rivals to — at least temporarily — set aside their egos.
This legal battle is part of Musk’s larger pushback against OpenAI’s decision to transform into a public benefit corporation, a restructuring meant to attract funding and potentially pave the way for an IPO. Musk argues this shift betrays the company’s original mission — a claim OpenAI strongly disputes.
Meta, on the other hand, argues that OpenAI’s subpoena is overreaching and insists that Musk and xAI already hold any information OpenAI might need. Still, the court’s next move could be key in deciding just how much of this AI soap opera will be exposed to the public.
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