On Tuesday, Jim Cramer said Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ:MSFT) decision to pay Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) -backed Anthropic for artificial intelligence features in Office apps marks a major change in strategy after years of relying heavily on OpenAI.
Microsoft To Integrate Anthropic's Claude AI Into Office 365
Microsoft will integrate some of Anthropic's Claude models into Office 365 applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, reported Reuters (via The Information).
Developers testing the tools reportedly found Anthropic's latest technology outperformed OpenAI's models in certain cases, such as handling financial functions in Excel or generating more aesthetically polished PowerPoint slides.
The shift means Microsoft will blend Anthropic and OpenAI models within its productivity software while it continues to develop its own in-house AI systems.
The report added that Microsoft will pay Amazon Web Services to access Anthropic's models, a notable move given AWS is both a direct cloud rival and one of Anthropic's largest shareholders.
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Paying Anthropic Over OpenAI For Cutting-Edge AI Is Significant: Cramer
Cramer took to X, formerly Twitter, and said, "Microsoft paying Amazon's Anthropic for some product that it thinks is better than that of AI. That's big," he said, highlighting the implications of Microsoft expanding beyond its long-standing reliance on OpenAI.
Microsoft, OpenAI And AI Competition
Microsoft has invested more than $13 billion in ChatGPT-parent and remains its largest financial backer. A company spokesperson told the publication, "OpenAI will continue to be our partner on frontier models and we remain committed to our long-term partnership."
Still, the companies have faced tensions. Earlier this year, reports surfaced of a dispute over a contractual clause that could limit Microsoft's access to OpenAI's artificial general intelligence once achieved.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is said to be exploring a secondary stock sale that could value it at $500 billion, up from $300 billion earlier this year.
Price Action: Microsoft shares edged up 0.04% on Tuesday and are up more than 19% year-to-date, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that despite short-term fluctuations, MSFT maintains strong medium and long-term growth, with further performance details available here.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
