Stripe spends over $8 billion to buy AI routing platform OpenRouter

Stripe revealed a plan to purchase OpenRouter, an AI-model aggregation service that offers a single API for over 400 models from more than 80 providers. The transaction, reported to be just over $8 billion primarily in stock, reflects Stripe’s strategy to control the plumbing that connects businesses to diverse AI capabilities. OpenRouter serves more than 10 million developers and handles in excess of 10 trillion tokens each day, positioning it as a critical piece of the emerging AI ecosystem.

By integrating this routing layer, Stripe aims to let its customers select the most suitable model for each task based on price, latency and reliability. The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, though multiple outlets cite the $8 billion figure. This acquisition underscores a high-stakes wager that AI will reshape online payments and broader digital services within the year.