ChatGPT-parent OpenAI has asked a court to compel Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) to produce documents tied to Elon Musk's unsolicited $97 billion takeover bid, raising new questions about the extent of Mark Zuckerberg's involvement in the high-stakes legal battle.
OpenAI Pushes Meta For Documents On Elon Musk's xAI Bid
In a brief filed Thursday, OpenAI's lawyers said they subpoenaed Meta in June for communications related to Musk's February 2025 attempt to acquire or invest in the ChatGPT-maker through his startup xAI, reported TechCrunch.
The filing claims Musk spoke directly with Zuckerberg "about potential financing arrangements or investments."
Meta initially objected to the subpoena in July. OpenAI is now seeking a court order for Meta to hand over documents tied to Musk's bid and any discussions about OpenAI's restructuring into a public benefit corporation.
That restructuring is at the heart of Musk's lawsuit against the company.
In a statement to the publication, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pointed to a section of OpenAI's filing that notes neither Meta nor Zuckerberg signed Musk's letter of intent.
Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments.
Musk's Legal Offensive Against OpenAI
Musk has sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming the company abandoned its nonprofit mission by converting its for-profit arm into a structure that allows investor funding and a potential IPO.
OpenAI countersued in April, accusing Musk of fraudulent business practices and of trying to damage the startup he co-founded in 2015.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied Musk's request to dismiss OpenAI's counterclaims, ruling that Musk's "sham bid for OpenAI's assets," combined with his press statements and social media posts, provide sufficient grounds for the case to proceed.
A jury trial is scheduled for spring 2026.
Meta's Broader AI Push
The subpoena comes as Meta pursues its frontier AI ambitions. Court filings in another case revealed that executives in 2023 pushed to develop a model to surpass OpenAI's GPT-4, but by early 2025, Meta's systems had slipped behind, the report said.
Zuckerberg has since doubled down, poaching senior OpenAI researchers — including ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao — and launching Meta Superintelligence Labs.
The tech giant also invested $14 billion in Scale AI and approached other AI labs for potential deals.
Price Action: Meta's stock slipped 1.15% on Thursday, ending the session at $739.10. It edged down another 0.14% in Friday’s pre-market trading at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate META maintains strong momentum across short, medium and long-term trends, with more detailed performance data available here.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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