Exclusive-Microsoft eyeing startup deals for life after OpenAI (opens in new tab)

Microsoft is shopping for artificial-intelligence startups as the software company prepares for a future independent of its once-vital partner OpenAI, five people familiar with the matter said. This spring, ‌Microsoft weighed acquiring code-generation startup Cursor, four people said. Microsoft is in discussions with Inception, a small startup built by a Stanford University team focused on a different method of developing large language models, three people familiar with the matter said.