Recent insights from The Wall Street Journal suggest that the relationship between OpenAI and Microsoft may be reaching a critical juncture. According to the report, which quotes unnamed sources, executives at OpenAI have considered the possibility of publicly accusing Microsoft of anticompetitive practices amid their ongoing collaboration. Additionally, there have been discussions about pursuing a federal review of their contractual arrangement with Microsoft.
OpenAI is working to assert more control over its intellectual property and computing resources, yet the startup still requires Microsoft’s endorsement to finalize its transition to a for-profit model.
A key point of contention between the two companies is OpenAI’s $3 billion acquisition of the AI coding startup Windsurf. OpenAI is wary of granting Microsoft access to Windsurf’s intellectual property, which could potentially bolster Microsoft’s own AI coding platform, GitHub Copilot, as highlighted in the report.
Initially, Microsoft played a pivotal role in accelerating OpenAI’s growth; however, recent developments suggest a shift toward a more strained partnership. Notably, OpenAI has been making efforts to lessen its dependency on Microsoft for cloud services in recent months.