Microsoft and OpenAI are working on a new deal – still

Reports have been circulating for days about the difficulties between OpenAI and Microsoft, among other things. The two companies now apparently want to counter this. They have published a joint statement. However, it is rather empty, and the dispute is becoming a farce. "We are actively working on defining the terms of the contract in a final agreement." Until then, however, there is a "non-binding declaration of intent".

The dispute revolves around OpenAI's desire to become a profit-oriented company. Microsoft has invested billions in the startup. The conversion would mean that Microsoft would receive shares in exchange. But there seems to be disagreement about exactly what and how much this could be. Microsoft currently shares in the revenue and uses the API for the products. This use is also the subject of the negotiations.

Nevertheless, both parties have already emphasized their intention to reach an agreement. They have now jointly written on their own blog posts that they still have the goal of providing the "best AI tools for everyone, based on our shared commitment to security".

Resistance to OpenAI's plans

However, instead of working on joint models, Microsoft has recently launched its own AI models. There are also more and more collaborations with other AI companies, such as Anthropic. In its financial results, Microsoft described OpenAI as a competitor to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. And OpenAI is forging links with Oracle and Softbank and even wants to develop its own AI chips – independently of Microsoft and therefore also the computing power provided by Microsoft.

There is, of course, an existing contract between the two partners. It remains valid until 2030. While OpenAI would like to withdraw from it, as this is the only way to enable restructuring, Microsoft is reportedly keen to simply wait it out. In this case, OpenAI is said to have forged a plan to put Microsoft, and in some respects itself, to the sword. OpenAI is then said to have publicly accused Microsoft of having acted anti-competitively in the partnership.

But it is not only Microsoft that finds OpenAI's efforts to become a profit-oriented company questionable. More and more people are warning against the move. First and foremost, even Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, but also employee associations and charitable organizations, see the danger of setting a kind of precedent. In the case of charitable organizations, investments can be written off as donations. Collecting is therefore easier. However, the money is tied to charitable purposes. OpenAI would be able to circumvent this in case of doubt.

In another blog post, OpenAI's Supervisory Board member Bret Taylor writes about the concession that the profit-oriented part of the company will also remain under the control of a charitable umbrella organization. The new investment is worth more than 100 billion US dollars. The plan is to use the money to support organizations that focus on AI skills development, innovation and economic opportunities.

(emw)