EU antitrust regulators last month said the partnership would not be subjected to the bloc’s merger rules because Microsoft does not control OpenAI, but they would instead seek third-party views on the exclusivity clauses in the agreement.
In contrast, the British and US antitrust watchdogs continue to have concerns as well as questions about Microsoft’s influence over OpenAI and the latter’s independence.
Microsoft and OpenAI are increasingly competing to sell AI technology to enterprise customers, aiming to generate revenue and demonstrate their independence to regulators to address antitrust concerns.
Additionally, Microsoft is expanding its AI offerings on the Azure platform and has hired Inflection’s CEO to head its consumer AI division, a move widely interpreted as an effort to diversify beyond OpenAI.
