In a surprising revelation that underscores the high-stakes competition in artificial intelligence, Elon Musk reportedly approached Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about potentially financing an acquisition of OpenAI. According to Business Insider, this outreach occurred as part of Musk’s ongoing efforts to gain control of the AI company he co-founded but later departed from. This development adds another layer to Musk’s complicated relationship with OpenAI, which has already resulted in a lawsuit where he claims the organization has strayed from its original nonprofit mission.
The timing of this revelation is particularly noteworthy as it comes amid Musk’s own ambitious AI ventures with xAI and his public criticisms of OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft. While details about Zuckerberg’s response remain limited, the approach itself highlights the consolidation of power among tech billionaires in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Meta has been aggressively developing its own AI capabilities, including the Llama family of models, positioning itself as a competitor rather than a potential OpenAI ally.