OpenAI’s plan to restructure its business and raise billions in new funding is being stalled as it remains locked in complex negotiations with its largest investor, Microsoft.
The ongoing talks, which could extend beyond the end of the year, as reported by the Financial Times, centre on key points of contention that could impact the future of their partnership and the broader artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
After months of scrutiny, Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI was cleared by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this year, months after the US Federal Trade Commission raised concerns.
Battle over AGI
At the heart of this new deadlock is a highly contentious clause in the firms’ existing contract.
It allows the ChatGPT maker to cut off Microsoft’s intellectual property (IP) access if and when it achieves artificial general intelligence (AGI) – defined as a “highly autonomous system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work”.
While Microsoft’s chief executive, Satya Nadella, wants the clause removed, OpenAI is fighting to keep it, viewing it as a powerful form of leverage.
As one source familiar with the talks told the FT, the clause is “negotiating chit”, but also a form of “mutually assured destruction”, as a failure to reach a deal could jeopardise a $10bn (£7.9bn) investment from Japenese investment group Softbank, which remains contingent on an agreement being finalised by the end of this year.
Fight for control
The two firms are also clashing over API access. Microsoft currently has the exclusive right to host OpenAI’s models on its Azure cloud service, making it a crucial gatekeeper for the technology.
OpenAI is seeking to expand its partnerships to include rival cloud providers such as Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
This move would significantly boost OpenAI’s API sales revenue, which currently accounts for a quarter of its $12bn (£8.9bn) in annual recurring revenue.
The companies are currently negotiating a compromise that would allow OpenAI to serve government customers who are not on Azure, but a broader agreement remains elusive.
The financial stakes
The outcome of these talks is critical for OpenAI’s financial future. A deal is needed to complete a corporate restructuring that would allow investors to hold equity in the business and set the stage for a potential IPO.
The outcome of these talks will determine Microsoft’s final equity stake in a restructured OpenAI, which is expected to be between 30 and 35 per cent after more than $13bn (£9.6bn) in investments.
While both companies have publicly stated their optimism, the ongoing disagreements over IPA, revenue sharing, and the AGI clause could push the negotiations beyond the critical deadline, delaying OpenAI’s next phase of growth.