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OpenAI Revises Microsoft Partnership, Ends Revenue Sharing Arrangement

OpenAI said Microsoft will no longer receive revenue sharing and its license will become non-exclusive, while Microsoft states it will deepen ties and launch OpenAI products first on Azure.

Fact Check
The claim is strongly supported by Reuters and an official OpenAI source. Reuters' April 27, 2026 report states that Microsoft will no longer receive/pay revenue sharing under the revised arrangement, that its access/license is no longer exclusive, and that OpenAI products will generally launch on Azure first unless Microsoft cannot or does not provide them. The official OpenAI page 'Joint Statement from OpenAI and Microsoft' corroborates the revenue-sharing change and Azure-first/exclusive API cloud terms in the search snippet. The only limitation is that the OpenAI page could not be fetched directly due to a WAF, but the Reuters article independently confirms the same core facts.
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Summary

OpenAI said it revised its agreement with Microsoft so Microsoft will no longer receive revenue sharing and its license to OpenAI technology will become non-exclusive, a change OpenAI said is meant to simplify the relationship. At the same time, Microsoft said it will continue deepening its partnership with OpenAI and that OpenAI products will launch first on Azure, reinforcing Azure’s role in hosting and distributing OpenAI services. Microsoft shares fell as much as 4% in pre-market trading amid the developments.

Terms & Concepts
  • Non-exclusive license: A licensing arrangement that allows the owner to grant similar rights to multiple parties rather than limiting access to one partner.
  • Revenue sharing: A commercial structure in which one party receives a portion of income generated under a partnership or product agreement.
  • Azure: Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, used to host applications, data, and artificial intelligence services at scale.