Leaked files show ChatGPT-maker OpenAI’s billion-dollar payments to Microsoft

ChatGPT maker OpenAI is facing increasing financial scrutiny as new leaked documents offer a closer look at its revenues, spending and its complex financial ties with Microsoft. Quoting unnamed sources, Techcrunch reports that OpenAI shares 20% of its revenue with Microsoft under the multibillion-dollar investment deal between the companies. However, the same sources said Microsoft also pays OpenAI a share of revenue generated from Bing and the Azure OpenAI Service, which rely on OpenAI’s technology. These payments are deducted internally before Microsoft reports its net revenue-share numbers, making the total flow of revenue between the companies harder to determine.

Based on the reported 20% share, OpenAI’s revenue would have been at least $2.5 billion in 2024 and $4.33 billion in the first nine months of 2025. Other reports, including those from The Information, have placed OpenAI’s 2024 revenue closer to $4 billion.