Tracking the history of the now-deceased OpenAI Microsoft AGI clause

Simon Willison traces the history of the AGI clause in the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership agreement, which stipulated that Microsoft's commercial IP rights to OpenAI technology would become void upon AGI being achieved. The clause evolved from a vague definition tied to 'highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work,' to a financial threshold of $100 billion in profit, to verification by an independent expert panel. As of April 27, 2026, a new partnership agreement dropped any reference to AGI milestones, with Microsoft's license now running through 2032 and revenue share payments described as 'independent of OpenAI's technology progress' — effectively killing the AGI clause entirely.