The United Kingdom has ceased its investigation into the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, citing a lack of monopoly concerns. This was reported by Reuters.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded that Bill Gates’s company does not exert sufficient control over the developer of ChatGPT to warrant further investigation.
The inquiry began last year following the controversial departure and subsequent return of Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI.
The regulator emphasized that while Microsoft gained significant influence over the AI startup in 2019, it did not acquire actual control, thus exempting it from the UK’s merger control regime.
A Microsoft representative stated that the partnership with OpenAI and its continued development “promote competition, innovation, and the responsible development of AI.”
“We welcome the CMA’s conclusion to end the investigation, made after a thorough and balanced consideration of commercial realities,” he said.
Previously, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Elon Musk’s request to prohibit the transformation of OpenAI into a commercial entity.
In July 2024, Microsoft withdrew its observer from OpenAI’s board of directors.