Ddos
September 11, 2025
The Information has reported that Microsoft is preparing to announce, within the coming weeks, the integration of Anthropic’s latest Claude model into selected Office 365 Copilot features. This marks a gradual shift away from sole reliance on OpenAI’s technology stack, signaling that AI assistants in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint will soon be powered jointly by OpenAI’s GPT-5 and Anthropic’s Claude, thereby enhancing user experiences across diverse scenarios.
The development has been interpreted by some observers as a possible sign of fractures in Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI.
Microsoft remains OpenAI’s largest investor and played a pivotal role in reinstating Sam Altman as CEO following his brief ouster in 2023. Yet recent negotiations regarding OpenAI’s proposed transition of its for-profit division into a Public Benefit Corporation appear to have stalled, fueling speculation that the partnership may be cooling.
Microsoft, however, stresses that the move is not driven by friction with OpenAI but rather by a strategic commitment to selecting the best models for different use cases. A spokesperson later clarified to The Information that the company remains committed to a long-term collaboration with OpenAI and will continue using its frontier models as a foundation.
Notably, sources cited in the report claim that one reason for the adoption of Claude was Microsoft’s belief that Claude 4 Sonnet outperforms GPT-5 in subtle yet significant areas — such as producing more aesthetically polished PowerPoint presentations, thereby raising user satisfaction with Copilot services.
It is worth mentioning that Claude 4 Sonnet is not Anthropic’s flagship model, suggesting Microsoft may also be evaluating the potential adoption of Claude Opus or future, more advanced iterations.
Although Microsoft’s agreement with OpenAI allows it to access the GPT series at no additional cost, integrating Claude means paying for Anthropic models through AWS. Nevertheless, reports indicate that Microsoft intends to maintain the current pricing for Office 365 Copilot — $30 per user per month — without passing additional costs to customers.
From an industry perspective, this move reflects a broader diversification of Microsoft’s AI strategy: reducing overreliance on a single provider while enriching the Copilot experience, all while preserving strategic flexibility in its partnerships with both Anthropic and OpenAI.
