Microsoft and Apple resign from OpenAI board amid growing international antitrust scrutiny

Microsoft has withdrawn from its observer seat on the OpenAI board, while Apple, which was expected to join the board, will not take its seat, the Financial Times reports.

The moves are likely a response to scrutiny from antitrust regulators in the U.S., U.K., and European Union about the influence big tech companies have on AI startups. But it’s unclear whether they’ll ease the agencies’ concerns about their involvement in OpenAI, Business Insider wrote.

Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, and their partnership has helped them become leaders in the AI ​​race—OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has described it as “the ultimate bromance in tech.” Microsoft is largely credited with helping to rescue Altman’s position in 2023 after he was briefly ousted by OpenAI’s previous board over security concerns. In its decision to leave the new board now, Microsoft said it had confidence in the company’s direction and no longer needed an oversight role.