It seemed like a perfect wedding, sealed by billions of dollars and a shared vision of the future of artificial intelligence. Today, however, what for years has been aone of the most strategic alliances of global tech risks turn into a divorce at high tension, just as ChatGpt, the symbolic creature of this union, dominates the scene as a global reference in the sector.
According to aexclusive of the Wall Street Journal, the historic partnership between OpenAI e Microsoft is now on the brink of breaking up. At the center of the conflict is the corporate structure of the startup led by Sam altman, today valued at over 300 billion dollars, the rush for new capital and, above all, control over the most advanced artificial intelligence in the world.
Microsoft, which has invested approximately 19 billion dollars as of 2019, maintains today preferential rights on OpenAI's technology and the exclusivity for its distribution through the cloud Azure. But the startup's decision to evolve into a Public Benefit Corporation (Pbc, public utility company), to attract new investors and, perhaps, prepare for a future IPO, has brought out all the latent tensions. The transition, to be completed by 2025, in fact requires theMicrosoft authorization, which it preserves power of veto on all strategic choices. And Redmond does not intend to give the green light without compensation.
The stakes: 20 billion and independence
La corporate transformation of OpenAI is not a mere formality. According to the Wall Street Journal, the startup must complete the conversion in Pbc within the end of the year otherwise the startup risks losing access to 20 billion dollars in new financing already at an advanced stage.
But to finalize the transition, Microsoft's approval is needed, which, by virtue of existing agreements, can block any strategic decision. And Redmond doesn't intend to give it away for free but rather would have asked for a larger share in the future corporate structure in exchange for approval. OpenAI, however, aims to maintain control and reduce your dependence from the giant led by Satya Nadella. But it's not just a question of governance, the startup also wants overcome the constraint which forces it to use exclusively Azure as its cloud infrastructure.
The company, created by Sam Altman with Elon Musk (with which heavy friction remains) and other investors, however, has already begun to break away from Microsoft. With the Birth of the joint venture Stargate, Together with Softbank e Oracle infrastructures , OpenAI has started a mammoth project from up to $500 billion to build a proprietary network of data centers dedicated to AI. But the most sensational turning point could come from another front. According to rumors reported by Reuters, OpenAI would have tightened a strategic agreement with Google Cloud (not yet official) that would mark an unprecedented change of front in the geopolitics of AI. Collaborating with one of Microsoft's main rivals, both in the cloud and in the development of generative models, amounts to a real Declaration of independence.
For OpenAI, opening up to new suppliers means earning technological flexibility and increase the margin for maneuver. But it also means directly challenging Microsoft's dominance over the infrastructure that powers Chat GPT and the entire family of models GPT.
The Nuclear Option: Altman Considers Antitrust Action
According to the sources of WSJ, the tension has arrived to the point that the top management of OpenAI is evaluating what is internally defined as a "nuclear option" or accuse Microsoft of anti-competitive behavior and ask for a Federal Contract Review by the Federal Trade Commission (the American antitrust).
Such an accusation, if formalized, could have devastating effects. Not only would it irreparably damage the relationship between the two companies, but it would also shed a sinister light on Microsoft’s growing role in the AI ecosystem, which has already been under investigation by US antitrust authorities since 2023.
The Windsurf Case: 3 Billion That Risk Fueling the Conflict
What further increases the temperature is theOpenAI Acquisition of Windsurf Startup, specializing in AI-based coding tools, for $ 3 billion. Microsoft, under the current contract, shouldreal access even to this new technology, but OpenAI wants to avoid this. The motivation is simple. The ChatGPT company fears that it will be used to strengthen GitHub Copilot, the Microsoft product that competes directly with its models in the developer segment.
Artificial General Intelligence and Proprietary Models
Another front of conflict is about the race to artificial general intelligence (AI), that is, AI capable of reasoning like a human. According to current agreements, OpenAI's achievement of AI would mark the end of the partnership exclusive with Microsoft. But the company led by Satya Nadella would continue to have privileged access even beyond that threshold, while OpenAI considers it essential to maintain full control over this decisive phase of technological development.
But Microsoft has not remained idle and is moving to Strengthen your AI arsenal independently. Not only did he develop GitHub Copilot, but, according to the WSJ, Nadella is also reportedly recruiting rival figures to Sam Altman to create a parallel team, with the aim of building independent models. It is a move that effectively marks the end of technological exclusivity and the transformation of Microsoft into a direct competitor of OpenAI, also on the product level.
Microsoft vs OpenAI, it's a technological cold war
Despite the tensions, the two companies continue to maintain a formal tone. “We have a long-term partnership that has brought incredible tools to the world. Discussions are ongoing and we are optimistic that we will continue to build together for many years,” they said in a statement. joint note Microsoft and OpenAI.
But behind the platitudes, the the climate is increasingly tense. The stakes are not only economic or social: they are Controlling the Future of Artificial Intelligence. And in a world where AI models decide the pace of global innovation, the clash between OpenAI and Microsoft takes on the contours of a new cold war tech, made of algorithms, calculation and divergent interests.
