Startup OpenRouter Fields Multibillion-Dollar Takeover Interest

OpenRouter, which helps app developers access hundreds of AI models, has discussed a potential sale to a bigger tech company that could value the startup at billions of dollars, a steep premium to its $1.3 billion valuation, people familiar with the matter said.

The discussions reflect a swell of interest this year in technology that makes it easier for app developers to run a variety of models, including open-source, to save costs. OpenRouter, founded three years ago, has seen business surge this year as token costs and model usage spiked.