back to article SoftBank woos OpenAI with $40B, making Microsoft's $13B look quaint

The AI investment landscape is shifting once again, with SoftBank reportedly finalizing a $40 billion stake in OpenAI - pushing its valuation to around $300 billion. If that sounds massive, it is. SoftBank's planned investment dwarfs the $13 billion Microsoft has poured into OpenAI - an alliance that has already attracted …

  1. elsergiovolador Silver badge

    Gentle

    They should woo me with $40B.

    I mean, why not?

    1. MOH

      Re: Gentle

      Woo hoo!

  2. steviebuk Silver badge

    Still trying to keep

    The AI bullshit bubble afloat as they know they all risk losing billions if they don't, now with DeepSeek out.

  3. Howard Sway Silver badge

    an enterprise AI they call "Cristal intelligence"

    Did he name it after his favourite type of Meth?

  4. Like a badger

    $300bn my arse

    So a company that makes a product that doesn't actually do anything has a worth equal to more than the entire annual output of New Zealand or Greece? Or a tad under the GDP of Portugal or Finland.

    How do I get a piece of this "money for nothing" action?

  5. xyz Silver badge

    Is it stargate...

    Or starchild they are trying to build? It's an awful lot of money for something that's still a bit ethereal... aka doesn't work.

    It's like the "big boys" are trying to create a brain upload thingy before their bodies snuff it and/or communicate with aliens. It's definitely not for economic/business reasons because if it doesn't pan out then everyone will be back to eating rats.

    1. TimMaher Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: eating rats…

      Discworld .

      Rat-onna-stick. With a beer——>

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: eating rats…

        Ketchup 3p extra

  6. druck Silver badge

    The next WeWork

    Softbank is going to find massively diminishing returns from spunking yet more billions on AI, and are going to be left with something equivalent to the value of their investment in WeWork in a few years.

  7. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    So AI is officially dead?

    Those whom the Gods would destroy - they first get massive investment from SoftBank

  8. Hal Woods

    SoftBank’s $40B investment in OpenAI makes Microsoft’s $13B look small, positioning SoftBank as a major AI contender. While Microsoft remains deeply integrated with OpenAI, this new rivalry will shape the AI landscape going forward.

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