Explosive Court Filing: Elon Musk Sought Mark Zuckerberg's Aid for OpenAI Takeover Bid

A bombshell has just dropped in the already contentious legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI. Newly unsealed court documents reveal a fascinating, previously unknown chapter from 2018: Elon Musk personally reached out to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, seeking his financial backing for a potential multi-billion dollar acquisition of OpenAI.

This stunning revelation, unveiled in an amended lawsuit filing by OpenAI, paints a vivid picture of Silicon Valley's intricate power plays.

According to the court documents, Musk contacted Zuckerberg via text message in 2018, proposing a staggering valuation for OpenAI – potentially up to $20 billion. His objective was clear: to secure the necessary capital to take control of the burgeoning artificial intelligence powerhouse.

Zuckerberg's response, as detailed in the filings, was one of intrigued caution.

While expressing interest, the Meta chief sought more detailed information before committing to such a significant venture. This behind-the-scenes negotiation underscores just how early and aggressively Musk was eyeing control over OpenAI, long before its meteoric rise to prominence with ChatGPT.

This dramatic disclosure comes amidst an escalating legal feud where OpenAI is suing Musk, alleging he breached his founding agreement with the company.

OpenAI claims Musk, one of its co-founders, intended for the organization to remain a non-profit, open-source entity. However, their lawsuit contends that Musk later sought to merge OpenAI with Tesla or establish it as a for-profit venture under his personal dominion, a move they argue was fundamentally at odds with its original mission.

Musk, in turn, has vociferously denied these allegations.

His legal team has previously argued that OpenAI’s lawsuit is nothing more than a strategic distraction from what they call the "real story"—namely, that OpenAI itself has strayed from its founding principles by becoming a for-profit enterprise heavily influenced by Microsoft. He claims the company is now a "de facto controlled subsidiary" of the tech giant, abandoning its initial non-profit, open-source mandate.

The revelation of Musk's attempt to enlist Zuckerberg's aid adds a layer of intricate corporate intrigue to an already high-stakes legal battle.

It not only highlights Musk's long-standing ambition in the AI space but also suggests the intense, early jockeying for position among tech titans to shape the future of artificial intelligence. As the legal proceedings continue, this new detail is sure to fuel further speculation and debate over the true origins and trajectory of one of the world's most influential AI companies.