The wealthiest person in the world, Elon Musk, has reached out to Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg for assistance in financing the acquisition of AI startup OpenAI for $97.4 billion in early 2025.

This was reported by CNBC.

According to court documents, OpenAI stated that when Musk and xAI attempted to form a consortium of investors for the acquisition funding, they approached Zuckerberg to inquire about potential financing or investment deals. This information is part of a lawsuit between Musk and OpenAI that was initiated last year. The case is being heard in federal court in Northern California, where a judge recently ruled that OpenAI could file counterclaims against Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI as a non-profit alongside Sam Altman and others in 2015. When Musk proposed acquiring OpenAI in February, he was outraged that the company and Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, insisted on turning the business into a for-profit entity. Altman and Musk, who were once close friends, have become fierce adversaries since OpenAI emerged as a leader in generative AI with billions in funding from Microsoft. Musk founded his own AI startup, xAI, in 2023, aiming to make it a direct competitor to OpenAI. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment.