It looks like Tesla CEO, Elon Musk wanted to rally Meta founder, Mark Zuckerberg to his side for his bid to purchase OpenAI. Musk tried to get Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on board for his unsolicited $97.4 billion offer to purchase the non-profit that controls OpenAI earlier this year, the ChatGPT-maker claimed in court filings made on Thursday, an unusual move after the two tech billionaires feuded publicly and challenged each other to a cage fight.
Originally a co-founder of OpenAI, Musk has accused the company and its leadership of straying from their founding nonprofit mission toward a profit-driven model that primarily benefits corporate investors like Microsoft.
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The lawsuit, revived in 2024 after an initial withdrawal, alleges fraud and breach of contract, claiming that Musk was misled about OpenAI’s true intentions. This conflict reflects broader tensions in the AI industry between maintaining ethical, nonprofit goals and pursuing lucrative commercial opportunities.
Musk’s bid to acquire OpenAI with support from Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, which was ultimately rejected, further complicated the situation and resulted in countersuits accusing Musk of harassment. The legal battle is set to continue into 2026, with potential ramifications for governance and accountability in AI development.
In response to legal questions served by OpenAI, Musk “identified Mark Zuckerberg” as an individual he “communicated” with regarding “potential financing arrangements or investments” in connection with the ChatGPT-maker, the filing said.
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Meta’s AI division, spearheads development of advanced AI models like the open-source LLaMA 4, boasting 405 billion parameters, reflecting Meta’s push for transparency and accessibility in AI. Despite these advances, Meta recently announced a restructuring and hiring freeze within its AI division, signaling a strategic shift towards a more cautious approach.
The filing reportedly noted that neither Zuckerberg nor Meta signed Musk’s letter of intent or participated in Musk’s $97.4 billion bid.
Meta’s cautious restructuring amidst its AI ambitions further reflects the evolving dynamics and challenges in the sector. Although Zuckerberg and Meta ultimately did not join Musk’s offer, the episode reveals the complex interplay between major tech figures and companies vying for influence in AI’s rapidly growing landscape.