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OpenAIMicrosoft Reset Caps Payouts and Ends Exclusivity as Azure Remains Priority

The overhaul trades open-ended fees for predictability, with room to sell on other clouds.

Overview

  • Reports published Wednesday describe a reworked pact that sets a 20% revenue share through 2030 capped at $38 billion and shifts OpenAI’s IP license to non‑exclusive through 2032, keeping Azure as the priority cloud while allowing sales on rivals.
  • The cap turns what had been an uncapped, AGI‑linked revenue share into a fixed cost, with Crypto Briefing estimating OpenAI saves about $97 billion through 2030 compared with the prior terms.
  • OpenAI has committed to buy $250 billion of Azure computing through 2030, which secures years of revenue for Microsoft even as multi‑cloud sales could move some customers to AWS or Google Cloud.
  • Microsoft holds an estimated 26.79% stake in OpenAI worth about $228.3 billion after the company’s $122 billion raise in February at an $852 billion valuation, following $13 billion invested from 2019 to 2023 and $5.9 billion in gains booked in the nine months ending March 31, 2026.
  • Litigation led by Elon Musk continues in federal court in Oakland seeking $135 billion, with recent testimony from CEO Satya Nadella saying the OpenAI bet worked out because Microsoft took the risk.