Stripe, the Payments Giant, Buys the "Model Middleman" Used by 8 Million Developers for $7 Billion — Who Owns the Faucet That Used to Be Neutral?
Payments giant Stripe is reported to be acquiring the model router OpenRouter for over $7 billion. This piece follows the neutrality of a "middleman" that handles 400+ models and 8 million developers, and the shifting dynamic in which value moves from the models to the routes that reach them.