Zuckerberg Secretly Texted Elon Musk to Offer Help With DOGE — And the Conversation Takes a Wild Turn
Court documents have exposed a private text exchange between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, revealing that Zuckerberg personally reached out to offer support for DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency led by Musk. The texts, sent in early February 2025, show the two tech billionaires in a surprisingly warm and cooperative exchange — a dramatic shift from a rivalry that once nearly escalated into a literal cage fight.
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| Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC |
From Cage Fight Rivals to Text Buddies
Not long ago, the relationship between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg was the stuff of internet legend. Musk publicly challenged Zuckerberg to a cage fight, and the feud between the two men dominated headlines for weeks. Their competition was deeply personal — Musk's X platform and Meta's social media empire were increasingly going head-to-head, and neither man seemed to have much admiration for the other.
Fast forward to early 2025, and something had clearly changed. Court documents released on March 28, 2026, as part of Musk's ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, contain text messages that paint a very different picture. The two men, once apparent enemies, were now exchanging messages about government efficiency, content moderation, and even a potential joint business move.
What Zuckerberg Actually Said in the Texts
The texts were sent on February 3, 2025 — a period when Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was making aggressive moves to cut federal spending and restructure government operations. Around the same time, Zuckerberg had appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, where he criticized what he described as the "emasculation" of corporate America.
In the text exchange, Zuckerberg wrote to Musk directly: "Looks like DOGE is making progress. I've got our teams on alert to take down content doxxing or threatening the people on your team. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."
It was a notable message — one of the world's most powerful tech executives, running a platform that billions of people use daily, personally offering to deploy Meta's content moderation resources in support of a politically controversial government initiative. The tone was warm, almost collegial, and clearly showed that Zuckerberg was aligned — at least in spirit — with what Musk was trying to accomplish.
Musk's Response and a Surprising Business Proposal
Musk's reply was brief but revealing. He responded with a heart emoji, signaling approval, and then immediately pivoted to a business idea. "Are you open to the idea of bidding on OpenAI with me and some others?" he asked.
The question was significant. Musk has had a long and complicated history with OpenAI — he was once a co-founder and early funder of the organization before departing under disputed circumstances. His lawsuit against OpenAI, which is how these documents came to light, centers on accusations that the company abandoned its original nonprofit mission. The idea of Zuckerberg potentially joining a bid to acquire OpenAI alongside Musk would have been one of the most seismic deals in the history of artificial intelligence.
Zuckerberg's response was measured. According to the court documents, he suggested the two take the conversation to a phone call rather than continue over text. It was a diplomatic non-answer — neither shutting down the idea nor committing to it.
Zuckerberg Never Joined the OpenAI Bid
Despite the tantalizing moment in those texts, Zuckerberg ultimately did not join Musk's bid for OpenAI. Previously released documents had already confirmed this, and the newly surfaced texts simply fill in some of the backstory around how the conversation began. It appears the phone call, if it ever happened, did not lead to any formal partnership or joint offer.
Still, the exchange raises important questions about how closely aligned the leaders of America's largest technology platforms are when it comes to political and governmental matters. For Zuckerberg to personally text Musk — and to offer Meta's infrastructure as a tool to support DOGE — signals a level of cooperation that goes well beyond what most observers had assumed.
Why These Texts Matter Beyond the Gossip
On the surface, leaked texts between two tech billionaires might seem like little more than high-profile gossip. But the implications of this exchange run deeper than that. Meta is one of the most influential platforms for public discourse on the planet. When its CEO proactively offers to suppress certain types of content in coordination with a government official — even on a matter as seemingly straightforward as doxxing — it raises legitimate questions about the relationship between private platforms and government power.
DOGE, under Musk's direction, has been one of the most controversial political projects of the early Trump era. It has involved sweeping cuts to federal agencies, mass firings of government employees, and an approach to governance that critics describe as chaotic and unaccountable. For Zuckerberg to express visible enthusiasm for its progress and offer direct assistance is a meaningful political statement — whether intentional or not.
It also reframes the earlier, very public feud between Musk and Zuckerberg. What once looked like a genuine rivalry may, in hindsight, have been less about deep ideological differences and more about business competition. When the two men found common political ground and a potential business opportunity, they moved quickly toward cooperation.
The OpenAI Lawsuit as an Unexpected Window
The reason these texts are public at all is somewhat ironic. They emerged not from a whistleblower or a journalist's investigation, but from the legal discovery process in Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI. As both sides gather evidence and submit documents to the court, communications that would normally remain private are being made available to the public.
Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI has already produced a stream of revealing documents, offering an unusually transparent look at conversations that would otherwise remain hidden. The Zuckerberg texts are just the latest example of how legal proceedings can pull back the curtain on how the most powerful people in the technology industry actually communicate and coordinate behind closed doors.
For anyone watching the intersection of big tech, government, and artificial intelligence, that window is proving to be extraordinarily valuable.
What Comes Next
There is no indication that Zuckerberg has renewed any interest in an OpenAI bid. Meta has its own ambitious artificial intelligence strategy, investing heavily in open-source models and its own AI infrastructure. Joining a bid alongside Musk for a company Musk is actively suing would be an unusual move, to say the least.
But the broader story — of Zuckerberg aligning himself more closely with Musk and, by extension, with the political project that Musk is helping to lead — is one that is likely to keep developing. As more documents from the OpenAI lawsuit become public, and as both men continue to wield enormous influence over media, technology, and government, the nature of their relationship will remain a story worth watching closely.
What started as a proposed cage fight has apparently evolved into something far more consequential.
