Amazon in talks to invest as much as $50B in OpenAI

Shares of Amazon pared earlier losses on Thursday after reports said the company is in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, marking a major escalation in its artificial intelligence strategy.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon’s potential investment would be the largest single contribution in OpenAI’s current fundraising round, which is seeking as much as $100 billion and could value the ChatGPT maker at around $830 billion.

The talks are being led directly by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, though sources said the final structure of the deal remains fluid. Japan’s SoftBank is also reportedly in discussions to invest up to $30 billion in the same round.

Amazon shares were down about 0.8% in afternoon trading, outperforming the broader tech sector, which was under pressure. Investors appeared to view the potential OpenAI stake as a long-term strategic move, reinforcing Amazon’s push into generative AI.

The company has already backed OpenAI rival Anthropic and continues to expand its AI infrastructure, even as it cuts costs elsewhere. Amazon recently announced plans to lay off roughly 16,000 corporate employees, following additional job cuts last year.

While not yet finalised, a $50 billion OpenAI investment would position Amazon as a central player in the next phase of the AI arms race, signalling just how high the stakes have become in the sector.

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