Microsoft Values $135 Billion Stake in OpenAI as Firms Face Legal Pressure

Microsoft has restructured its partnership with OpenAI, valuing its stake at $135 billion. The revised agreement allows OpenAI to collaborate with outside developers and release open-weight models while maintaining Microsoft as its exclusive partner for frontier models until 2032. This change comes amid legal scrutiny, including an antitrust lawsuit accusing Microsoft of using its Azure dominance to manipulate ChatGPT pricing. OpenAI is transitioning into the OpenAI Group PBC, which is controlled by CEO Sam Altman and board chair Bret Taylor. As part of this agreement, OpenAI will continue to allocate approximately 20% of its revenue to Microsoft until artificial general intelligence (AGI) is recognized. Additionally, OpenAI has committed to purchasing $250 billion in Azure services but will no longer exclusively source all computational resources from Microsoft. The partnership began in 2019, and the latest updates reflect both companies' efforts to adapt to changing market conditions and legal challenges while enhancing collaboration.

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