π Stripe to Acquire OpenRouter: a16z Calls It the "Intelligence Network" for AI's Token Economy
Stripe has signed a deal to acquire OpenRouter, the neutral routing layer that lets AI apps switch between models and providers β a16z's Martin Casado calls the combined company the trusted network where AI businesses exchange intelligence.
β’ Thesis: tokens are the new dollars β a universal medium AI companies now use to trade value, the way currency underpins the rest of the economy.
β’ "We just want to make sure that moving between tokens and dollars is as seamless and safe as moving between dollars and euros," said Stripe's Will Gaybrick.
β’ a16z backed OpenRouter from seed through its Series A, drawn in by founder Alex Atallah's earlier run building OpenSea.
β’ Next up: tools like Ori Eval that dynamically route prompts to the best model and provider in real time.
π Read more
#a16z