alt Hacker NewsAre we stoping too early in this analysis though?
Google versus OpenAI and Anthropic, sure, but Microsoft is deep into OpenAI. Google helping Anthropic is also putting MS into a corner (one that may even be shrinking? Copilot and openAI financing hurting their brand, rumours of deep displeasure at OpenAIs promises v returns).
Seen from afar I see Google happy to provide TPUs for money (improving Googles strategic positioning), torpedoing confidence in LLMs with their search AI summaries, and using their bankroll to force larger competitors (MS in particular), to keep investments high regardless of performance and user revolts and internal tensions with Sam Altmans sales approach. Plus, Anthropic is in ‘the lead’ right now product wise, so grooming them as a potential purchase would also seem to be a strategic hedge in the long term.
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MS is not so deep with OpenAI, it's not all black and white, they have signed several distribution deals where Claude drives Copilot [1], since Anthropic and MS are better aligned in the Enterprise market, it makes sense. It also makes sense for MS not to lose ground anywhere at this point and play with the best. Actually, any cash rich company that is not OpenAI or Anthropic wants to be close-by when any of the two needs money. That's the ultimate win they can aspire for right now, get a financial slice of frontier models on one hand while not losing revenue on the other given the existential ordeal AI represents for them.
1. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/03/0...
You make some good points, but this part feels like a wild overreach:
That is some real tin foil hat thinking.