Microsoft generated $10 billion in revenue from its commercial arrangements with OpenAI—including revenue-sharing payments—during the quarter ended September 30, according to a regulatory filing released Wednesday. That figure accounts for nearly 11% of Microsoft's total quarterly revenue of $92.3 billion, underscoring the enormous financial ties that remain between the two companies even as they increasingly compete for the same customers.
A Growing Revenue Stream
Because Microsoft's fiscal year begins in July, the quarter ended September 30, 2026 marks the first quarter of its fiscal 2027. For the full 2026 fiscal year, revenue tied to OpenAI reached $24.1 billion. At its latest quarterly pace, Microsoft would draw roughly $40 billion annually from OpenAI-related arrangements.
The company also reported $7.2 billion in outstanding receivables from OpenAI at the end of September, up from $6 billion at the end of June. That figure represents amounts OpenAI owes for previous transactions rather than additional revenue.
What's Behind the Numbers
It remains unclear how much of Microsoft's OpenAI-related revenue comes from revenue-sharing payments versus Azure cloud computing services. TechCrunch has reached out for more information.
In November 2025, TechCrunch reported, citing leaked documents, that Microsoft had received $865.8 million in net revenue-sharing payments from OpenAI during the first nine months of that year. OpenAI reportedly shares 20% of its revenue with Microsoft under a previous deal in which the software giant invested more than $13 billion in the AI startup—a percentage neither company has publicly confirmed.
As part of an April 2026 agreement, OpenAI is obligated to continue sharing revenue with Microsoft through 2030, subject to a cap, even as OpenAI is permitted to work with competing cloud providers.
A Partnership in Transition
The companies began loosening the ties of their once-exclusive partnership in October 2025, when Microsoft relinquished its hold on OpenAI to give the startup more freedom to partner with other cloud providers. In exchange, OpenAI committed to purchasing an additional $250 billion in Azure services under that October 2025 agreement.
Microsoft's ownership stake in OpenAI has also declined slightly, from about 25% in June to 24% in September. That continues a gradual decrease from roughly 27% following the October 2025 recapitalization. Microsoft did not specify what caused the dilution.
via TechCrunch AI