OpenAI Faces Mounting Financial Pressures

Internal documents obtained by Techcrunch and blogger Ed Zitron have exposed the delicate financial balancing act at OpenAI. The leaked figures show an organization burning through cash at unprecedented rates while struggling to turn its groundbreaking AI technology into sustainable profits.

The Microsoft Partnership: A Double-Edged Sword

The revelations center on OpenAI's complex financial relationship with Microsoft. In 2024 alone, OpenAI reportedly transferred approximately $493.8 million to its tech giant partner - representing a 20% share of its revenue. This figure ballooned to $865.9 million in just the first three quarters of 2025.

Image source note: The image was generated by AI, and the image licensing service is Midjourney

These payments suggest minimum revenues of $2.47 billion in 2024 and $4.33 billion through September 2025 - impressive numbers that nonetheless pale against OpenAI's soaring costs.

Where Does All the Money Go?

The real shock comes from examining OpenAI's operational expenses:

• Model inference costs (the computing power needed to run AI systems) hit $3.77 billion in 2024
• These costs more than doubled to $8.67 billion in just nine months of 2025
• While Microsoft covers training expenses for new models, day-to-day operations drain cash reserves

The numbers paint a sobering picture: even with revenues climbing into the billions, OpenAI's infrastructure costs consume every dollar earned - and then some.

Profitability Remains Elusive

"We're looking at potentially the most capital-intensive startup in history," observes industry analyst Mark Cheney (unaffiliated with the report). "The fundamental economics of large language models appear broken when operational costs scale linearly with revenue."

The financial pressures don't stop at computing bills either:

• High-profile talent comes with premium salaries
• Continuous model training requires massive investments
• Expanding product offerings strains resources further

CEO Sam Altman has projected $2 billion in annual revenue by year-end 2025 - an ambitious target that would still leave OpenAI deep in the red based on current spending patterns.

Key Points:

• Revenue sharing: Paid Microsoft ~$494M (2024) and ~$866M (first three quarters of 2025)
• Operating costs: $3.77B inference expenses (2024), $8.67B (first nine months of 2025)
• Profit outlook: Expenses consistently outpace growing revenues across all metrics