Sources say OpenAI is asking investors to avoid five artificial intelligence startups, including Sutskever’s SSI

:As global investors such as Thrive Capital and Tiger Global invest $6.6 billion in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT was looking for a commitment that went beyond just capital — it also wanted investors to refrain from funding five companies they see as close competitors, they said Reuters sources.

The list of companies includes rivals developing large language models, such as Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI. Also on the list is OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever’s new company, Safe Superintelligence (SSI). These companies are racing against OpenAI to build large language models, which requires billions of dollars in funding.

Two AI application companies, including artificial intelligence search startup Perplexity and enterprise search firm Glean, were also mentioned in OpenAI’s investor call, suggesting that OpenAI plans to sell more of its tools to enterprises and end users as it ambitiously forecasts revenue growth to $11.6 billion in 2025 from $3.7 billion this year.

OpenAI, Perplexity and SSI declined to comment. Anthropic and Glean did not immediately respond. XAI could not be reached for comment.

The proposal, while not legally binding, shows how OpenAI is using its attractiveness to secure exclusive commitments from its financial backers in a competitive field where access to capital is key.

While such expectations are not unusual in the world of venture capital, making a list like OpenAI is unusual. Most venture investors generally refrain from investing in direct competitors of their portfolio companies to avoid reputational risk.

However, that line has been blurred for late-stage investors who tend to diversify their bets, such as SoftBank and Fidelity, which have invested in both xAI and OpenAI.

While OpenAI’s request does not apply to its former investors and the investments they have already made, it could have implications for OpenAI’s investors and the five competitors in their future fundraising efforts.

The Financial Times and Wall Street Journal first reported some of the companies on the list.