OpenAI has reportedly asked the attorneys general of California and Delaware to look past the latest round of mud being slung at Sam Altman and instead focus on Elon Musk and Meta. The company says Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg may be coordinating ”attacks” meant to slow OpenAI down, including conduct it calls improper and anticompetitive.
That is a pretty bold move, even by Silicon Valley standards. OpenAI is effectively turning a tabloid-style profile about its own chief executive into a complaint about rivals, while the company’s feud with Musk is already headed for a courtroom showdown. Musk is suing OpenAI for $134 billion, and jury selection in the Northern District of California is set to begin on April 27.
OpenAI’s complaint targets Musk and Meta
According to the reporting cited in the letter, OpenAI wants California and Delaware to investigate whether Musk and Meta engaged in coordinated behavior that could hinder its work on artificial general intelligence. Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief of global affairs, told CNBC that Musk and Zuckerberg were ”turning to conduct and approaches that we do think are really highly questionable and sharply worthy of investigation.”
The letter also points to reporting from The New Yorker about Musk intermediaries compiling opposition research on Altman. That story described surveillance, shell companies, contact details for associates, and even interviews about a supposed sex worker. OpenAI’s argument is simple: if rivals are using dirty tricks to shape the race for AGI, regulators should care more about that than about another bruising profile of Altman.
The Zuckerberg-Musk flirtation looks awkward in hindsight
The Meta angle is especially sticky because of a report late last month saying Zuckerberg once texted Musk offering help with DOGE, then reacted with a heart emoji when Musk replied. Musk reportedly followed up by asking whether Zuckerberg would be ”open to the idea of bidding on the OpenAI IP with me and some others.” That exchange does not prove a conspiracy, but it does show just how casually these billionaires discuss each other’s business.
- OpenAI says the alleged conduct could interfere with its ability to pursue AGI.
- Musk is already suing OpenAI for $134 billion.
- Meta is being pulled into the dispute even though the company is not part of the lawsuit.
The AGI fight is also a power fight
Strip away the rhetoric and the pattern is familiar: the biggest AI companies are trying to define not just the technology, but the rules around who gets to shape it. OpenAI frames itself as mission-driven and safety-first; Musk and Meta are cast as competitors willing to push harder and play rougher. That pitch is designed for regulators, but it also doubles as public positioning before a trial that could get very expensive, very fast.
OpenAI has not exactly been shy about describing Musk’s lawsuit as harassment in the past, and this new letter fits the same playbook. The smart money says the next move will be more legal theater, more leaks, and more awkward reminders that the AI race is starting to look less like a product contest and more like a corporate feud with subpoenas.