Microsoft-OpenAI deal set to dodge formal EU merger probe

EU antitrust regulators have concluded that Microsoft’s $13 billion investment into OpenAI is not an acquisition, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, signaling the deal will avoid a formal European probe that could have led to onerous remedies for the U.S. tech giant.

EU regulators had said in January that the deal may be subject to merger rules in the region. Microsoft, which has a non-voting position on OpenAI board, said late last year it did not own any portion of the ChatGPT maker.