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SoftBank in talks for $30B OpenAI bet
Knocking on City Hall doors
SoftBank in talks for $30B OpenAI bet
SoftBank really can’t quit OpenAI.
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Japanese conglomerate is in talks to invest up to an additional $30 billion into the AI giant, as OpenAI continues its push to raise as much as $100 billion in fresh capital.
OpenAI has been courting investors aggressively to reach that 12-figure target. The company is reportedly in discussions with Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds about a potential $50 billion contribution, and has also floated a $10 billion investment from Amazon.
If the round goes through, OpenAI and SoftBank would break a record they set themselves last year, when SoftBank led a $41 billion funding round, announced in March and completed in December.
The new raise would also catapult OpenAI’s valuation to an eye-popping $830 billion, widening the gap with Anthropic, which is reportedly aiming for a $350 billion valuation in its own upcoming funding push.
SoftBank already owns roughly 11% of OpenAI, after selling off its nearly $6 billion Nvidia stake to double down on Altman’s company.
The move comes as capital continues flowing into Anthropic as well, which reportedly doubled its funding round target from $10 billion to $20 billion, fueled by growing traction with enterprise customers.
SoftBank’s enthusiasm isn’t hard to explain. Masayoshi Son has long shared Sam Altman’s almost boundless optimism about AI’s future. In an essay published on SoftBank’s website, Son described a world where developers achieve “artificial super intelligence,” systems “ten thousand times more intelligent than human wisdom.”
It’s a vision far removed from the darker warnings of figures like Geoffrey Hinton, and even beyond Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s more cautious optimism.
Put simply: SoftBank is all-in on an AI future, and it’s betting OpenAI will be the one driving it.
Peec AI asked 12 leading experts in AEO/GEO the questions you want answered before planning your AI search strategy for 2026:
- If you had $100K for AI search, where would it go? - What's one specific optimization you've seen actually drive results? - What's the first thing a brand should do to improve visibility?
Google has released an updated “Mayors AI Playbook” in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors at its Winter Meeting in Washington, Axios reports.
Cities are spending more on technology, but many still lack the expertise to deploy AI safely or at scale. The companies that help close that gap early could lock in long-term public sector contracts.
Google’s first playbook was largely about AI awareness. This new version is more operational, focused on how local governments can actually begin implementing AI rather than just talking about it.
The goal is to help city leaders pilot and expand AI across everyday public services, while keeping governance, oversight, and safeguards intact.
The commercial logic is obvious.
Cities don’t adopt AI tools in isolation. They invest in cloud infrastructure, data systems, cybersecurity, and ongoing support, turning AI adoption into a multi-year commitment.
The playbook highlights two priorities: building the foundations of an “AI-ready city,” and outlining practical use cases like multilingual communication, call center upgrades, and automated document processing.
Competition is intensifying. Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic are now all approved AI vendors for government use, lowering the friction for adoption at the local level.
Still, progress remains uneven. A 2024 survey found nearly half of local government officials rank AI as a low priority, largely because they don’t yet understand it.
This isn’t charity. That knowledge gap could create a widening divide between cities that modernize quickly and those that fall behind.
Some municipalities are already deploying AI in targeted ways:
New York City: AI systems filter massive volumes of cyber threats into a manageable set for staff review
Miami: Automation is accelerating parts of the zoning approval process
San José: Real-time language translation is now available through its 311 service portal
Early deployments suggest AI can meaningfully reduce pressure on overstretched public teams, provided it’s introduced carefully and built on the right foundations.
Google saw confused mayors and thought: perfect customer profile.
Peec AI asked 12 leading experts in AEO/GEO the questions you want answered before planning your AI search strategy for 2026:
- If you had $100K for AI search, where would it go? - What's one specific optimization you've seen actually drive results? - What's the first thing a brand should do to improve visibility?
