OpenAI lawyers question Meta’s role in Elon Musk’s $97B takeover bid

OpenAI has formally requested that Meta provide documentation regarding any collaboration with Elon Musk and his company, xAI, in relation to a bid to acquire the AI developer. This revelation came to light in a legal brief submitted on Thursday, amidst Musk's ongoing legal battle with OpenAI over his ambitious $97 billion takeover proposal made earlier this year. The attorneys representing OpenAI revealed that they issued a subpoena to Meta back in June, seeking information about the company’s possible involvement in Musk's unsolicited bid. The filing does not indicate whether any pertinent evidence has been found. However, OpenAI's legal team asserts that communications exist between Musk and Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, regarding potential financial arrangements surrounding the acquisition. In response to OpenAI's initial subpoena, Meta expressed its opposition in July. Now, OpenAI's lawyers are pushing for a court ruling that would require Meta to comply with the evidence request. They are also seeking any documents or communications from Meta that pertain to the restructuring or recapitalization of OpenAI, which is central to Musk's lawsuit. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone referred TechCrunch to OpenAI's filing, which clarifies that neither Meta nor Zuckerberg endorsed Musk’s letter of intent to purchase the company. Beyond the courtroom drama, it's worth noting that Meta has been aggressively advancing its own AI initiatives, even recruiting top talent from OpenAI, including Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT, who now heads research at Meta Superintelligence Labs. With substantial investments, including $14 billion into Scale AI, Meta is reportedly exploring acquisition opportunities with various other AI firms as well. In their court submissions, Meta's legal representatives have requested the dismissal of OpenAI’s evidence request, asserting that Musk and xAI are capable of supplying any relevant information. They maintain that their internal discussions about OpenAI's financial restructuring are not pertinent to the ongoing litigation. This situation continues to evolve, and further updates are anticipated.