OpenAI is expected to provide nearly $97 billion in payments to Microsoft through 2030 under the partnership renegotiated last October, according to reports Monday. This figure quantifies the financial impact of the changes announced by the two companies on October 28, 2025, when OpenAI completed its restructuring to become a public benefit corporation controlled by its non-profit foundation.
Under the original agreement, OpenAI committed to paying 20% of its revenue to Microsoft through 2030. This commitment could have totaled $135 billion. The renegotiated terms define revenue-sharing payments and separate them from AI milestones that could previously have resulted in larger payouts.
OpenAI reduces Microsoft’s revenue share
OpenAI’s CFO, Sarah Friar, told investors that the company expects to share roughly 8% to 10% of revenue with all commercial partners combined, including Microsoft, by 2030, down from 20% today. This reduction reflects two structural changes: a lower percentage rate and a strict cap on total payments.
The previous agreement also included an AGI provision that could have sharply changed the financial structure if an independent panel determined that OpenAI had achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI). Under the renegotiated terms, the AGI verification still terminates Microsoft’s research intellectual property rights but no longer results in a revenue share escalation.
As mentioned by Cryptopolitan Last October, the restructuring gave Microsoft a 27% stake in OpenAI Group PBC worth approximately $135 billion. OpenAI has committed to purchasing $250 billion worth of Azure cloud services in return. Microsoft maintains access to IP until 2032.
OpenAI opens the door to AWS and Google Cloud
The renegotiated deal ended Microsoft’s exclusive right to provide cloud computing services to OpenAI.
OpenAI products will still launch first on Azure “unless Microsoft can and chooses not to support the necessary capabilities,” according to the company’s announcement. But OpenAI can now sell models and enterprise services through Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.
This shift has already led to friction. The Financial Times reported in March that Microsoft was considering legal action against Amazon and OpenAI over a $50 billion deal that gave AWS exclusive third-party cloud rights to OpenAI’s Frontier Enterprise AI platform.
Microsoft’s position is that the partnership requires the OpenAI API products to run via Azure. OpenAI argues that Frontier qualifies as a non-API product and can be hosted elsewhere.
Microsoft trades revenue share for equity and access
Microsoft will no longer receive a reciprocal share of revenue from OpenAI under the new structure.
A 27% equity stake, a $250 billion Azure commitment, and access to IP through 2032 are the company’s core returns.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the restructuring a “net positive for Microsoft” because the agreement “secures 6-year IP control over OpenAI technology” while removing uncertainty around the long-term partnership structure.
The Financial Times also reported that Amazon has discussed investing up to $50 billion in OpenAI as part of a broader strategic partnership, suggesting that cloud diversification is reshaping the positioning of investors outside Microsoft.
OpenAI is preparing for a potential initial public offering in the fourth quarter. The removal of Azure exclusivity and the resulting payment escalation from AGI were among the structural barriers to a public listing, according to Ives.
