The Information's TITV OpenAI-Amazon Talks for $10B Investment, Waymo’s Massive Fundraise, IPO Analysis | Dec 17, 2025
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Dec 17, 2025 Anissa Gardizy, a cloud and compute reporter, dives into Amazon's potential $10 billion investment in OpenAI and the proposed use of AWS Trainium chips. Katie Roof reveals Waymo's early $100 billion fundraising talks and the challenges of its profitability against high R&D costs. Valida Pau and Stephanie Palazzolo discuss AI labs' hunt for specialized data with dwindling public sources, emphasizing the complexities of pricing and privacy. Meanwhile, Ken Brown analyzes the 'scarcity premium' risks for significant upcoming IPOs, drawing intriguing historical parallels.
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Amazon's Massive Bet On OpenAI
- Amazon is negotiating to invest $10 billion+ in OpenAI and push Tranium chips into OpenAI's stack.
- The deal would extend OpenAI's vendor relationships beyond NVIDIA and help Amazon capture future cloud spend.
Microsoft's Remaining Leverage
- Microsoft retains a unique commercial advantage despite Amazon's push because it's the only cloud provider allowed to sell OpenAI models to customers.
- That exclusive sales right cushions Microsoft from direct displacement even if OpenAI uses other clouds.
Waymo's $100B+ Raise And A Driverless Ride
- Waymo is in early talks to raise billions at a valuation of at least $100 billion, more than double its last round.
- Katie Roof rode a Waymo and joked she thanked a nonexistent driver, underscoring the service's driverless reality.