Microsoft generated $10 billion in revenue from commercial arrangements with OpenAI, including revenue-sharing payments, during the quarter ending September 30, the company announced in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. This figure accounts for nearly 11% of Microsoft’s total quarterly revenue of $92.3 billion, underscoring the immense financial interdependence between the two firms despite their growing competition for shared customer bases.
Microsoft’s fiscal year begins in July, meaning the quarter ended September 30, 2026, marks the start of fiscal 2027. For the entire 2026 fiscal year, revenue linked to OpenAI reached $24.1 billion. At the current pace, Microsoft anticipates generating $40 billion annually from these OpenAI-related arrangements.
Additionally, Microsoft reported $7.2 billion in outstanding receivables from OpenAI as of September, an increase from $6 billion at the end of June. These funds represent amounts OpenAI owes for previous transactions rather than new revenue.
The specific breakdown of how much revenue stems from revenue-sharing payments versus Azure cloud computing services remains unclear. TechCrunch has contacted the companies for further details. Previously, in November 2025, TechCrunch reported via leaked documents that Microsoft had secured $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 as part of a prior deal where the software giant invested over $13 billion in the startup. Neither organization has publicly verified this percentage. Furthermore, an April 2026 agreement obligates OpenAI to continue sharing revenue with Microsoft until 2030, subject to a cap, even while allowing the startup to partner with competing cloud providers.
The partnership, which was once exclusive, began to loosen in October 2025 when Microsoft relinquished control over OpenAI to grant the startup more freedom to collaborate with other cloud providers. In return, OpenAI pledged to purchase an additional $250 billion in Azure services under the October 2025 agreement.
Microsoft’s ownership interest in OpenAI has also seen a slight reduction, dropping from approximately 25% in June to 24% in September. This shift continues a trend of gradual dilution following the October 2025 recapitalization, though Microsoft did not disclose the reason for this decrease.
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