Bloomberg Tech

Episode: Microsoft, Nvidia Commit $15 Billion to OpenAI Rival

Date: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Caroline Hyde (NY), Ed Ludlow (SF)
Key Guests: Seth Fiegerman (Bloomberg Tech Editor), Tyler Kendall (White House Correspondent), Maggie Patel (Allspring Global), Dave Baszucki (Roblox CEO), Anton Asika (Lovable CEO), Mandeep Singh (Bloomberg Intelligence), Hillary Gosher (Insight Partners), Samantha Kelly (Tech Reporter), Michael Shen (Crypto Reporter)

Overview

Today's episode explores the transformative $15 billion investment by Microsoft and Nvidia into Anthropic, a leading AI startup and OpenAI rival. The hosts break down how this move reflects deepening AI sector competition and the complex, interlocking investments shaping the cloud and chip markets. Additional highlights include U.S.-Saudi talks on tech and defense, new AI-driven safety measures at Roblox, explosive growth at European coding startup Lovable, and a look at robotics in law enforcement and current crypto volatility.

Main Topics & Insights

1. Microsoft, Nvidia, and Anthropic: Shifting Alliances in AI

[01:42-06:37, 26:35-28:44]

• Investment Details:
  Microsoft and Nvidia have committed up to $15 billion combined in Anthropic, drawing parallels to previous OpenAI funding rounds with "circular" deals between cloud, chips, and AI research (Seth Fiegerman, [03:15]).
• Echoing the OpenAI Playbook:
  “Anthropic then plans to commit spending to Microsoft's platform using Nvidia chips. Kind of textbook here and I think will add to some of the anxiety there, but it’s on a bit of a smaller scale.” (Seth Fiegerman, [03:16])
• Market Impact:
  • Anthropic recently closed a round valuing it at over $180 billion.
  • Amazon remains Anthropic’s main cloud provider, but the startup’s multi-partner strategy appears to rival OpenAI’s alliances with Google and Amazon ([03:53]).
  • “All the ships have to rise together or else they fail.” (Seth Fiegerman, [03:47])
• Broader Tech Landscape:
  Alphabet announces Gemini 3 LLM improvements. Cloudflare suffers an outage, highlighting dependency on cloud infrastructure ([05:12]).
• Long-term Strategy:
  “For Microsoft because they don’t have their own LLM, it makes sense that…they are investing in Anthropic…playing the long game.” (Mandeep Singh, [27:50])
• Market Reactions:
  • Investors are watching for productivity gains from these huge circular investments ([04:25]).
  • “When you look at the big market corrections…the tech sector is very strong because artificial intelligence is really a qualitative leap…” (Maggie Patel, [10:28])

2. Saudi Arabia-U.S. Tech & Investment Summit

[06:37-08:36, 43:20-45:03]

• Key Meeting:
  Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) meets President Trump to discuss chip access and defense, aiming to secure export licenses for advanced U.S. semiconductors ([06:56], [43:20]).
• Strategic Stakes:
  U.S. concerns focus on Riyadh’s ties with China; deals could impact $600 billion in Saudi pledges for U.S. investments, mostly in data centers and AI ([06:56], [43:20]).
• Defense Cooperation:
  Talks likely to include mutual defense and F-35 sales, sparking discussion about technology security ([06:56]).
• Quote:
  "We know a lot of this the administration wants to see in these critical sectors...particularly when it comes to our competition in China, such as data centers and AI." (Tyler Kendall, [43:20])

3. Roblox’s New Age Verification & Safety Push

[13:14-18:34]

• AI-Driven Safety:
  • Roblox introduces facial recognition age verification to safeguard its 150 million daily users, ensuring minors cannot chat with adults ([13:14]).
  • "We're rolling out what we believe will be the gold standard for the future of Internet safety..." (Dave Baszucki, [13:14])
• Tech Implementation:
  Uses AI and the Persona platform, combining facial estimation with multiple signals for robust verification ([15:29]).
• Trade-Offs:
  While revenue growth may be temporarily subdued due to friction from verification requirements, Baszucki asserts this long-term strategy benefits users and advertisers ([15:51], [16:10], [17:42]).
• Quote:
  "Long term we, we believe this is just the right thing for the platform. We're unique in that we have all ages ... This is the right long term vision." (Dave Baszucki, [16:10])

4. Lovable: European Vibe Coding Phenomenon

[20:57-26:34]

• Rapid Growth:
  Lovable doubles to $200 million revenue in 4 months; poised for a $6 billion valuation; opening offices in Boston and San Francisco ([20:57], [23:04]).
• User-Driven Adoption:
  Grassroots shift—prosumer and enterprise demand drives expansion (“Just 12 months ago...this movement of individuals that use the product...That's just the movement that's been translated to us being pulled into the enterprise..." Anton Asika, [21:25]).
• Mission:
  Democratizing software creation, allowing non-coders to build apps with integrated AI ([22:17], [23:24]).
• Sustainable Economics:
  AI compute costs are balanced by healthy unit economics and a focus on customer education ([24:41]).
• On AI “overinvestment” Concerns:
  "When initiatives are being pushed into a company top down, then...the expectation is wrong. Someone hasn't used the tools themselves. What we're seeing with Lovable is that it's all being adopted, bottoms up." (Anton Asika, [25:35])

5. AI Investment Market Outlook & Productivity Discussion

[08:36-12:28, 29:24-34:00]

• Market Correction Analysis:
  • Tech market volatility linked to interest rates and AI investment expectations, not a full-blown correction ([09:01], [11:50]).
  • “Artificial intelligence is so strong for data centers…when you look at the companies that have commented, basically they don’t have enough capacity for all the demand…” (Maggie Patel, [09:01])
• Venture & Private Equity Perspective:
  • Insight Partners’ Hillary Gosher explains how their AI accelerator empowers leaders to build value and efficiency both in products and internal operations ([30:22]).
  • "We bring CEOs into our AI accelerator program...help them think about two areas...AI in the product...and how are they adopting AI in their business..." (Hillary Gosher, [30:22])
  • AI augments, rather than replaces, existing jobs; case study in airline security shows how LLMs create value ([32:32]).

6. Tech Law Enforcement, Robotics, and Crypto Trends

[37:15-42:21]

• Boston Dynamics' Robot “Spot”:
  • Over 60 bomb squads and SWAT teams across the U.S. and Canada now use Spot for hazardous operations ([38:33]).
  • “We've seen...spot showing up maybe at a crime scene. But now we're getting new data...that shows more law enforcement units...are implementing these robotic dogs..." (Samantha Kelly, [38:33])
  • Ethical concerns rising—calls for regulatory oversight and ensuring public trust ([39:34]).
• Crypto Market Update:
  • Bitcoin stabilizes around $93,000 after recent volatility; ET competitors and altcoins see steeper falls ([40:25]).
  • “I think people ultimately do figure out like, you know, what are the fundamentals of these auto coins? ...key question across all of this market.” (Michael Shen, [42:06])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On AI Investment Circularity:
  “It feels like this one feels very clearly following the OpenAI playbook...All the ships have to rise together or else they fail.” — Seth Fiegerman, [03:16], [03:47]
• On Market Corrections:
  “Artificial intelligence is really a qualitative leap in the kind of technology that we've had over the last several decades...The fundamentals are still so strong as far as the eye can see.” — Maggie Patel, [10:28]
• On U.S.-Saudi Tech Talks:
  “This really dovetails into the other key part of the conversations today which has to do with defense. We are watching closely whether or not the two countries enter into a defense mutual cooperation pact…” — Tyler Kendall, [06:56]
• On Roblox Safety:
  "We're rolling out what we believe will be the gold standard for the future of Internet safety..." — Dave Baszucki, [13:14]
• On Lovable’s Business Approach:
  "It's all being adopted, bottoms up. So people come to the Lovable website, they build an application, publish it online or privately to their own company and then they see value and then they start paying." — Anton Asika, [25:35]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Microsoft/Nvidia/Anthropic Investment Discussion: [01:42] – [06:37], [26:35] – [28:44]
• Saudi Crown Prince at White House, Tech/Chip Access: [06:37] – [08:36], [43:20] – [45:03]
• Roblox Age Verification & Safety: [13:14] – [18:34]
• Lovable CEO, Growth and Business Model: [20:57] – [26:34]
• Investment & Market Analysis (Patel, Gosher): [08:36] – [12:28], [29:24] – [34:00]
• Boston Dynamics “Spot” in Law Enforcement: [37:15] – [39:34]
• Crypto Market Talk: [40:25] – [42:21]

Tone & Style

The episode is brisk, data-heavy, and future-focused, with a global lens on tech investments, competition, and regulation. Guests weigh in with both optimism about AI’s potential and caution regarding rapid change and ethical dilemmas.

Summary Conclusion

This episode of Bloomberg Tech spotlights how landmark deals like Microsoft and Nvidia's $15 billion commitment to Anthropic are reshaping the competitive dynamics of AI, cloud, and chip sectors around the globe. Broader themes of international tech diplomacy, responsible AI deployment, democratizing software creation, and financial market adaptation weave together, offering a rich tapestry of where technology, investment, and policy intersect in late 2025.