Leaked financial documents have revealed OpenAI’s significant payments to Microsoft, disclosing $865.8 million in revenue sharing for just nine months of 2025—almost doubling the $493.8 million for all of 2024. These revelations come as OpenAI gears up for a potential trillion-dollar IPO, stirring concerns about its actual profitability amidst the booming AI market. Tech blogger Ed Zitron notes that the leaked figures represent Microsoft’s net revenue share; however, Microsoft’s payment structure includes a 20% revenue kickback to OpenAI from services like Bing and Azure. This arrangement suggests OpenAI’s revenue could be over $4.33 billion for early 2025. CEO Sam Altman’s bullish projections, claiming upwards of $13 billion annually and potentially $100 billion by 2027, contrast sharply with projected costs, which have soared to $8.65 billion for AI model inference in early 2025. This juxtaposition raises critical questions about sustainability and profitability within the AI sector.
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