- OpenAI is considering suing Microsoft for anticompetitive practices due to disagreements over control and autonomy.
- The origin of the conflict lies in the corporate transformation of OpenAI, the acquisition of Windsurf, and intellectual property.
- Both companies maintain a public appearance of cooperation despite escalating tensions and legal threats.
- The outcome of the disagreement will be decisive for the future of AI and the balance of power in the industry.
The link between OpenAI and Microsoft, which for years It was one of the most notable alliances in the technology industry, is now going through its most difficult moment. The two giants, until recently strategic partners in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence, have seen their collaboration deteriorate as a result of Deep differences around autonomy, access to key technology, and the corporate future of OpenAI.
The seriousness of the situation has become evident with the emergence of an unusual possibility: OpenAI is considering taking Microsoft to regulatory authorities. for alleged practices that could hinder competition in the sector. This movement has emerged as a kind of end pressing tool amid increasingly tense negotiations over the direction of one of the most influential startups of the moment.
A relationship in transformation: from enthusiasm to confrontation
Since Microsoft's first billion dollar investment in OpenAI in 2019, the Redmond tech company has become the leading provider of computing resources and cloud servicesAdditionally, Microsoft secured privileged access to the startup's advanced AI systems, enabling the integration of technologies like GPT models into benchmark products like GitHub Copilot.
However, throughout 2025, priorities have changed rapidly. OpenAI demands self-management capabilities and reduced Microsoft control on fundamental aspects, while Microsoft seeks to maintain its dominant position in its partner's technological and shareholder roadmap.
One of the most notable points of friction lies in OpenAI's dependence on Microsoft Azure for access to computing infrastructure. Faced with limitations and delays in resource delivery, the startup has begun exploring agreements with other providers and developing its own technological framework, such as the ambitious Stargate project, which calls into question the exclusivity that Microsoft had achieved under the original framework of the alliance.
Strategic differences and the threat of the courts
The tension reached one of its peaks recently, when OpenAI has openly considered going to US regulators and report Microsoft's alleged restrictive behavior to competition authorities. The possibility of this "nuclear button" reflects the extent to which the relationship has deteriorated, especially after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has already opened an investigation into Microsoft and its influence in the artificial intelligence sector.
According to internal sources, OpenAI believes that its partner is not only slowing down the company's transformation process into a public benefit corporation —key to attracting billions in new investments and planning an IPO—but also blocks access to necessary resources and hinders the diversification of cloud providers.
Microsoft is seeking to ensure that any corporate evolution does not imply losing privileged access to technologies and developments, especially now that both companies compete in parallel markets, from enterprise solutions to AI-assisted development tools.
The Windsurfing conflict and the battle over intellectual property
El OpenAI's recent attempt to acquire the startup Windsurf, specializing in advanced AI-based coding, has intensified the unrestThis purchase, valued at around $3.000 million, has been seen by Microsoft as a direct threat, since Windsurf works on technology similar to the GitHub Copilot environment, one of Microsoft's flagship products.
The problem lies in access to the intellectual property generated by the new subsidiary. OpenAI seeks to keep these developments within its own ecosystem, while Microsoft demands equal access under the historical agreements between the two companies. For OpenAI, Handing over Windsurf's technology to the Redmond giant would mean giving up a strategic advantage in an area where competition is increasingly intense..
The dispute has exposed the transformation of the relationship into an open struggle for technological leadership, where old privileges and privileged access exchanges are no longer taken for granted.
OpenAI's corporate future and the pressure of the calendar
OpenAI's transformation into for-profit entity It is one of the startup's biggest priorities, as it would open the door to some twenty billion dollars in new investments and would facilitate its international expansion and even a possible IPO. But Microsoft has veto power in this process and is demanding a larger stake than OpenAI is willing to grant.
If the restructuring does not close before the end of the year, OpenAI risks losing all of these funds, adding pressure to already complex negotiations where each decision can have repercussions on the configuration of the AI sector globally.
The future of the contractual relationship will also depend on how Microsoft's access to OpenAI's technology is resolved once the achievement of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is declared, a long-debated milestone in the industry that could redefine current exclusivity conditions.
Public collaboration and private distancing
Despite the escalation of disagreements, Both actors strive to maintain a conciliatory public discourseIn joint communications, they emphasize the partnership's "productivity and longevity" and insist on their desire to find a framework that allows for continued collaboration on AI development.
Even so, OpenAI accelerates its diversification of technology partners and is looking to attract independent investors, while Microsoft is strengthening its own internal AI teams and accelerating initiatives that will allow it to become less reliant on OpenAI's software and models.
La decision of the UK Federal Trade Commission, which gave the green light to one of Microsoft's major investments in OpenAI, has provided a small respite, but it does not clear up the uncertainty about the alliance's real future.
The current crisis between OpenAI and Microsoft is much more than a simple dispute between strategic partners: what's at stake is control over the development, commercialization, and innovation in artificial intelligence on a global scale. Decisions made in these months will have a profound impact on the evolution of the technology, competition in the sector, and the way large companies collaborate or compete for leadership in the AI era.
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