OpenAI approached leading European competition regulators and expressed concerns about the conduct of major technology companies. Specifically, these included companies such as Alphabet Inc. and its Google subsidiary, Microsoft Corp., and Apple Inc. The meeting took place on September 24 in a hybrid format, with some participants attending in person and others joining via videoconference. OpenAI spoke directly with the head of the European antitrust division, Teresa Ribera. According to records from the meeting, OpenAI described the "difficulties" it faces when competing with these established companies. It attributes them to "customer lock-in by major platforms," which complicates OpenAI's efforts to establish itself in the market.
Concerns About Data Dominance
OpenAI emphasized that access to key data is essential to maintaining competition in artificial intelligence (AI). The company highlighted problems across various digital segments, including cloud computing and application development. These areas are dominated by the aforementioned major companies, which, according to OpenAI, prevents newcomers such as itself from competing effectively. OpenAI urged regulators to intervene and prevent this customer lock-in. An OpenAI spokesperson referred to an earlier blog post in which the company described competition issues in AI, particularly regarding data inputs and distribution, with an emphasis on Google. The European Commission declined to comment on details beyond referring to the meeting records, while Microsoft, Google, and Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
Cooperation vs. Rivalry
OpenAI has business ties with these major companies, but it is also increasingly competing with them. For example, it competes with Google in selling AI software to consumers and businesses. OpenAI also plans to compete with Apple in AI-powered consumer devices. OpenAI has a long-standing partnership with Microsoft, which was recently revised in connection with OpenAI's transition to a for-profit structure. Nevertheless, the two companies are increasingly at odds—the Microsoft Copilot app directly competes with OpenAI's market-leading ChatGPT. OpenAI is also expanding into the enterprise segment, where Microsoft generates most of its revenue. This rivalry is deepening as OpenAI expands its cooperation with Microsoft competitors such as Google and Oracle in cloud services.
OpenAI's Growth
Despite these difficulties, OpenAI is reporting impressive achievements. The company announced that its chatbot has 800 million weekly users. This growth is generating unprecedented subscription revenue, but it is also leading to enormous spending on the servers required to operate artificial intelligence. OpenAI has become the world's largest startup, with a valuation of $500 billion (approximately CZK 11.5 trillion). The company also signed a deal with AMD for chips worth tens of billions of dollars and launched the more advanced GPT-5 model focused on improved coding. In addition, it introduced parental controls for ChatGPT following a tragic incident involving a teenager.
Source: bloomberg.com
