OpenAI is too big to fail, and that's the point

AI’s foundational role in knowledge work means monopolies can’t be broken like social media or browsers. Alternatives to centralized AI systems must be built now.

Opinion by: Scott Stuart, founder at Kava Labs

During November 2025, OpenAI executives floated the idea of a government partnership that sounded remarkably similar to a bailout. They walked it back after significant blowback. The trial balloon marked what everyone already knew but didn't want to say out loud: AI's biggest companies are already "too big to fail."

In 2024, the US government proved the point. After a multiyear Google antitrust trial, the US government secured a liability ruling finding the company maintained an illegal monopoly, but remedies have yet to be finalized, highlighting how slow and uncertain antitrust enforcement can be.

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