OpenAI May Acquire Pinterest And It Could Change Online Shopping Forever

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence giant helmed by Sam Altman, is said to be considering an acquisition of Pinterest in what would likely be the biggest acquisition to date for OpenAI, as reported by The Information in their latest scoop. Neither party has officially denied nor admitted to discussions taking place.

The prediction is published in a report called “Sutskever’s Fate, OpenAI’s Next Deal, A Hit Robot – and 13 Other Predictions for 2026” and was written by a news reporter named Ann Gehan. The report interprets the possible Pinterest deal as OpenAI’s aggressive move into e-commerce, visual discovery, and online advertising.

Why Pinterest?

On the face value, Pinterest appears to be a surprising candidate for a company that conducts research in AI. Nevertheless, from a strategic standpoint, it is a great fit.

It has a large set of cataloged images. This is based on the interest of the consumer – fashion, home decor, food, travel, and lifestyle. The platform is not based on the need for conversation or entertainment. This makes it a very valuable asset for AI commerce.

The reported focus of OpenAI’s interest is on the following three key pillars:

• The vast visual data resource that Pinterest has
  
  
• Its mature ad infrastructure
  
  
• Its long-term relationships with merchants and brands
  
  

Collectively, these could greatly enhance the image/video generation capabilities of OpenAI, particularly as it increasingly faces stiff competition from Google, Meta, as well as Amazon within the AI-based e-commerce arena.

Market Reacts Quickly

Following the news, Pinterest shares were up 3% on Friday, as noted in Investing.com, indicating investors believe this is a real possibility. Pinterest is now worth about $17.5 billion, as shares trade at $25, close to where they were in early 2023.

It’s important to note that nearly two-thirds of voting power at Pinterest are held by co-founders Ben Silbermann and Paul Sciarra, so a takeover would necessitate collaboration between founders. Silbermann resigned as CEO around mid-2022 and left the company, but his influence still exists.

Buy Rather Than Compete

Conversational search, for instance, has been introduced by Pinterest using AI, making it a direct competitor against platforms such as ChatGPT. However, according to the report, there might be more value for OpenAI in acquiring rather than competing with Pinterest.

An acquisition could enable OpenAI to incorporate generative AI capabilities directly into visual search, recommendations, and advertising, turning Pinterest from a virtual mood board into a fully AI-driven discovery platform.

What This Signals

If the deal does come to fruition, this would represent a shift in the strategy at OpenAI, from a company that is a platform and a model supplier to one that is more of a consumer ecosystem player. Whether or not the deal ultimately takes place, the point is clear: the future battleground for AI has nothing to do with chat, and everything to do with the world of commerce, creativity, and visual discovery.