The partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft will have to be defended before the authorities, who are increasingly questioning this alliance.
OpenAI is surely THE big company of the year, for having brought ChatGPT to the world. It must be said that the American start-up was able to benefit from the support of one of the largest groups in the world, namely Microsoft. The two companies indeed work very closely, as the last incredible episode around Sam Altman showed, but also the more than 10 billion dollars invested in the affair by Microsoft. Except that, today, regulators are wondering whether these links comply with anti-competitive rules.
The USA and the United Kingdom are asking questions
OpenAI will have to prepare for adversity again it seems. Because as soon as the problem surrounding Sam Altman has been resolved, the Californian firm must face a procedure which has just begun according to Bloomberg within the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the regulator of the American market. The latter has not yet opened an official investigation, but is seeking to find out whether the link between the two entities was not in violation of the country’s antitrust laws.
Coincidence of the calendar? The FTC’s counterpart in the United Kingdom, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is also considering opening an antitrust investigation. “ The CMA will consider whether the partnership has resulted in a takeover, i.e. whether it results in one party exercising significant influence, de facto control or more than 50% of the voting rights on another entity » indicated the authority.
A link a little too strong?
It must be said that beyond Microsoft’s extremely substantial financial investment in OpenAI, but known to all, the latest events suggest that Microsoft may have more direct control over OpenAI than was estimated. previously.
As a reminder, Sam Altman had barely been fired and found a job within Microsoft, the Redmond firm having also promised a position to all OpenAI employees wishing to leave the company during the week when Sam Altman was no longer here. His return was also accompanied by a profound change in the board of directors, where a non-voting observer position was allocated to Microsoft. Enough to justify launching an investigation?
Source : Engadget
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