Stripe to Buy OpenRouter for $7.5 Billion as It Pushes Into AI Model Routing
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 19
Stripe to Buy OpenRouter for $7.5 Billion as It Pushes Into AI Model Routing
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 19
Summary
$7.5 billion is the reported price for Stripe’s planned acquisition of OpenRouter, a startup that helps developers access and route AI models; $1.5 billion would go to founders.
Stripe said the deal extends its push to build AI’s economic infrastructure by helping businesses manage token spending and choose models efficiently as pricing and performance shift rapidly.
OpenRouter has gained traction by aggregating especially open-weight models, including lower-cost offerings from Chinese labs such as DeepSeek and Z.ai that compete with proprietary systems from OpenAI and Anthropic.
The purchase marks a sharp valuation jump from OpenRouter’s $113 million raise less than three months ago at about $1.3 billion and follows Stripe’s $1.1 billion Bridge acquisition last year.