OpenAI Walked Away From $1B-a-Year Cursor Deal to Avoid Elon Musk
Wired AI · rss · 2026-09-04
WIRED reports OpenAI recently estimated its Cursor partnership would generate over $1 billion in annual revenue — yet it still cut ties after Elon Musk's SpaceX acquired the AI coding startup.
Key points:
- Cursor was one of OpenAI's largest API customers, worth $1B+ per year
- OpenAI chose to exit the relationship following SpaceX's acquisition of Cursor's parent company Anysphere
- The move underscores that OpenAI would rather forgo massive revenue than deepen ties with Musk's camp
The episode highlights both the enormous commercial value of AI coding tools and how the deteriorating OpenAI–Musk relationship is reshaping the industry.
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