Elon Musk reportedly tried to rope in Mark Zuckerberg to help finance his $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI. The information comes from a recent court filing by OpenAI, which says Musk, through his AI company xAI, discussed potential funding arrangements with Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta. However, Zuckerberg and Meta did not formally join the bid or sign any agreements.
The development comes amid a legal dispute between Musk and OpenAI. OpenAI has subpoenaed Meta for documents related to any communications or coordination with Musk about the acquisition. Meta has denied any involvement and is resisting the disclosure request, saying the documents are unlikely to be relevant.
Musk, a former co-founder of OpenAI, left its board in 2018 and later launched xAI in 2023. In February 2025, he led a consortium in submitting the unsolicited $97.4 billion offer for OpenAI, which the company rejected. OpenAI has since accused Musk of using bad-faith tactics to slow down the company and attempt to seize its innovations for personal gain.
