AI Breakdown Leak Suggests OpenAI Considering Cutting Back Due to Microsoft Fees
Nov 18, 2025
Leaked documents reveal OpenAI's growing financial strain as payments to Microsoft soar. The implications point to OpenAI potentially paying over a billion dollars this year due to a hefty 20% revenue share. With rising inference costs and questions about public financials, the podcast dives into how these changes could affect the AI landscape. Concerns about profitability loom large, highlighting risks within the industry as reliance on major cloud providers continues to shape the market.
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Ed Zitron Shared Leaked Payment Documents
- Tech blogger Ed Zitron shared leaked documents revealing OpenAI's payments to Microsoft.
- Those leaks included detailed figures for 2024 and the first three quarters of this year.
Microsoft's Large Revenue Share
- Leaked documents show Microsoft received large revenue-share payments from OpenAI, revealing deep financial ties between the companies.
- The leak implies a 20% revenue-share and suggests OpenAI's revenue and Microsoft payouts are both substantial and growing.
Reciprocal Revenue Flows Obscure Profits
- Microsoft also shares revenue back with OpenAI from Bing and Azure OpenAI, creating reciprocal flows that obscure net earnings.
- Neither company publicly breaks down these line items, making exact profits and payouts hard to verify.