Microsoft recently listed its long-term partner OpenAI as a "competitor" for the first time in its annual 10-K report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), sparking speculation about changes in the relationship between the two companies.
Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI has a long history. It is reported that Microsoft has invested $13 billion in the ChatGPT manufacturer and has become OpenAI's exclusive cloud provider. As part of the deal, Microsoft runs OpenAI's models in its products.
However, in the latest SEC filing, OpenAI is listed alongside Anthropic, Amazon, and Meta as competitors in the AI field. Due to OpenAI's recent launch of the SearchGPT feature, it is also seen as one of Microsoft's competitors in the search domain.
This change may be related to the current antitrust environment. The US Federal Trade Commission is investigating investments by cloud providers in AI startups, including the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI. Microsoft has also recently agreed to relinquish its observer seat on the OpenAI board, which was obtained after the board briefly fired CEO Sam Altman last year.
Industry experts point out that in Silicon Valley, partners and competitors are not mutually exclusive. Historically, cases like the collaboration between Yahoo and Google that eventually turned into competition are typical. Therefore, the potential changes in the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI are not without precedent.
Despite this, the change in the SEC filing may simply be Microsoft's cautious reminder to investors. With the rapid development of AI technology and the constantly changing market landscape, the future direction of the relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI remains to be observed.