---
title: "OpenAI: what they buy and what they pay"
url: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/openai/
site: https://www.brightinfo.com/
description: "What OpenAI buys, what it pays and its deal terms, from public sources with a link for every fact. Last verified November 3, 2026."
last_updated: 2026-11-03
---

# OpenAI: what they buy and what they pay

Buyers › AI labs › OpenAI

OpenAI is profiled here as an AI lab [1]. Data types cited in this profile include: Long-form writing, Conversations, Images, Audio, Video [2].

Last verified November 3, 2026

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | AI lab [1] |
| Status | Active [3] |
| Website | Not published |
| HQ | Not published |
| Founded | Not published |
| Ownership | OpenAI Group PBC, controlled by the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation; Microsoft holds about 27% [4] |
| Program | Data Partnerships [2] |
| Price | Could be worth more than $250 million over five years (News Corp, reported by WSJ) [1] · At least $16 million per year (Dotdash Meredith; fixed component only, payout could rise) (reported) [5] |
| Pricing basis | Not published |
| Payment timing | Not published |
| How to start | Not published |

## What they buy

- **Data types:** Long-form writing, Conversations, Images, Audio, Video [2] · Publisher content [1]
- **Excluded:** Not published
- **Intended use:** AI model training (public open-source and private datasets) [2] · Display in response to user questions (News Corp) [1]

## Price and payment

- **Price:** Could be worth more than $250 million over five years (News Corp, reported by WSJ) [1] · At least $16 million per year (Dotdash Meredith; fixed component only, payout could rise) (reported) [5]
- **Pricing basis:** Not published
- **Payment timing:** Not published
- **Seller fees:** Not published
- **Platform's cut:** Not published
- **Referral bounty:** Not published

## Privacy and data handling

- **De-identification:** OpenAI says it will digitize data (OCR/speech recognition) and remove sensitive or personal information if necessary (2023 announcement) [2]
- **Raw data deletion:** Not published
- **Certifications:** Not published
- **Personal data handling:** Not published

## Track record

### Named deals

- News Corp multiyear licensing deal (May 2024) [1]
- Dotdash Meredith content license (reported at least $16M/year) [5]
- Early Data Partnerships: Icelandic Government and Miðeind ehf; Free Law Project [2]

### Coverage

- TechCrunch on the Data Partnerships launch (Nov 2023) [2]

## Watch for

- The New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement (2023) [6]

## Sources

1. News Corp Inks OpenAI Licensing Deal Potentially Worth More Than $250 Million (Variety via Yahoo), malaysia.news.yahoo.com. Published May 22, 2024. Accessed November 3, 2026. (press) https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/news-corp-inks-openai-licensing-211417483.html
2. OpenAI wants to work with organizations to build new AI training data sets | TechCrunch, techcrunch.com. Published November 9, 2023. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press) https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/09/openai-wants-to-work-with-organizations-to-build-new-ai-training-data-sets
3. Meta Reportedly Signs $50 Million News Corp Deal As Big Tech's AI Content Arms Race Heats Up (Benzinga via Yahoo Finance), finance.yahoo.com. Published March 6, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-reportedly-signs-50-million-104510451.html
4. OpenAI restructures into public-benefit firm, Microsoft takes 27% stake (Al Jazeera), aljazeera.com. Published October 28, 2025. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press) https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/10/28/openai-restructures-into-public-benefit-firm-microsoft-takes-27-stake
5. OpenAI will pay DotDash Meredith at least $16 million per year to license its content (Engadget), engadget.com. Published November 19, 2024. Accessed October 30 and November 3, 2026. (press) https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-will-pay-dotdash-meredith-at-least-16-million-per-year-to-license-its-content-191756662.html
6. New York Times partners with Amazon for first AI licensing deal (Reuters via Hawaii Tribune-Herald), hawaiitribune-herald.com. Published May 30, 2025. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press) https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2025/05/30/nation-world-news/new-york-times-partners-with-amazon-for-first-ai-licensing-deal/

Last verified November 3, 2026

**Disclosure.** Bright Info is a sell-side broker. We may invite OpenAI to bid for a client's data. This profile is compiled from public sources; it is not endorsed by or affiliated with OpenAI. Corrections: hello@brightinfo.com.

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