Apple’s big reveal: “OpenAI knows the dagger is not far from their back”

Newswise — On June 10th, Apple confirmed worldwide speculation, the tech giant announcing its partnership with OpenAI. It’s a move that Apple hopes will boost its flagging market share — yet the behemoth and the upstart make for tense bedfellows.

Business strategy professor Henri Schildt, of Aalto University, researches the impact of data, digitalization, and artificial intelligence on companies. He is currently leading a 3-year research project studying how companies use generative artificial intelligence to redesign their processes and services. 

He is available for comment on Apple’s partnership announcement from a business strategy angle, also in light of the implications around recent EU legislation designed to make digital markets fairer and more contestable (the Digital Markets Act).

Henri Shildt on Apple’s World Development Day AI partnership reveal:

“OpenAI is the biggest threat to Apple in decades and Apple is the biggest threat to OpenAI. It’s the behemoth against the upstart, and that makes for a tense collaboration.”

“The battle between OpenAI could easily end up in rivalry, like Google Maps and Apple. Even though OpenAI has decided to take the plunge with Apple, they know the dagger is not far from their back.”

“It’s a key concern of the EU to prevent the technology giants that dominate an existing market from dominating adjacent markets. With this partnership announcement, the EU will be anticipating a fight.”

Henri’s research has been published in leading international journals such as Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Management Journal. His book “The Data Imperative: How digitalization is reshaping management, organizing, and work” was published in 2020 by Oxford University Press.

https://www.aalto.fi/en/people/henri-schildt