While Amazon is making workforce reductions, the group is simultaneously preparing a massive expansion in the field of artificial intelligence. According to several sources, Amazon is in discussions to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, while strengthening an existing partnership which already allows it to provide significant computing power to the startup specializing in AI.
In brief
- Amazon could invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI's $100 billion fundraising, to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence.
- Other investors, including SoftBank and several Middle Eastern companies, are also studying participation in this fundraising.
Expanding access to OpenAI technology
Sources familiar with the discussions indicate that in addition to negotiations around funding of up to $50 billion, OpenAI is also exploring a deal that would allow Amazon to integrate its AI models into its products and platforms. Amazon employees could also benefit from internal access to these models. The discussions would be conducted directly between the CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy, and that of OpenAI, Sam Altman.
Such a partnership would not only provide OpenAI with a massive influx of capital, but could also push the company's valuation up to $830 billion. If the deal goes through, Amazon alone could represent up to 50% of the planned fundraising, estimated at $100 billion. If the exact terms and the list of participants remain being finalized, other companies, including Nvidia, would also consider taking part in the operation.
The SoftBank group would, for its part, consider an investment of up to $30 billion in OpenAI, according to sources familiar with the matter. The tech company is also reportedly in discussions with Middle Eastern investors as well as several leading venture capital funds. Sam Altman would actively participate in these discussions in order to complete the entire fundraising.
With this potential financial backing, OpenAI is exploring the possibility of an IPO in the fourth quarter of 2026 and has begun testing advertising integration to offset the increased costs of developing and operating increasingly advanced artificial intelligence models.
Balancing investments between competing AI companies
A massive investment in OpenAI would further strengthen the relationship between Amazon and the AI company, even if the group continues to support its direct competitor, Anthropic. Amazon indeed holds a major stake in Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, and has already invested $8 billion in it. The e-commerce giant also funded an $11 billion data center in Indiana and continues to provide cloud services to the company.
By supporting both OpenAI and Anthropic, Amazon is ensuring a presence across the entire artificial intelligence landscape. This strategy allows it to maintain access to several key technologies, including Anthropic's Claude model, while simultaneously exploring the solutions offered by OpenAI.
Amazon job cuts contrast with OpenAI's growth
Despite these massive investments and growth initiatives, Amazon plans to cut around 16,000 positions in its administrative teams. This announcement follows a previous wave of 14,000 job cuts last October, marking the second major workforce reduction in less than a year.
At the same time, OpenAI, founded in 2015, gained global prominence in 2022 with the launch of its artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT. Its valuation would then have reached $500 billion following a secondary sale of shares carried out in October 2025.
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