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Stack Overflow partners with OpenAI to supply developer knowledge via OverflowAPI

OpenAI will use Stack Overflow's OverflowAPI to access vetted technical questions and answers. Stack Overflow will use OpenAI models to develop its OverflowAI product.

NEW YORK, May 6, 2024 Stack Overflow announced a partnership with OpenAI under which OpenAI will use Stack Overflow's OverflowAPI product, giving OpenAI models access to the platform's technical questions and answers. Terms and price were not disclosed.1

Terms of the deal

Per the announcement, OpenAI will use OverflowAPI, and Stack Overflow will use OpenAI models in developing its OverflowAI product.1 The arrangement lets OpenAI pull content directly through the API instead of scraping the site. Stack Overflow's CEO, Prashanth Chandrasekar, said the aim was to provide vetted, trusted and accurate data.1 No pricing was published.

Background

The OpenAI agreement followed a similar arrangement with Google Cloud announced on February 29, 2024, in which Gemini for Google Cloud draws on Stack Overflow content through OverflowAPI.2 Stack Overflow had previously been a major source of public training text for code models, and the OverflowAPI product was its way of turning that position into a paid, attributed channel.

What it means for data sellers

The Stack Overflow deals show a sequence: build a clean access product, sign a first anchor customer, then sign additional buyers on similar terms. Sellers with specialized, human-vetted content can argue that quality and provenance justify a fee even when public copies exist. They should also expect buyers to ask for product integration or attribution rather than cash only, and should keep contracts non-exclusive where possible so the same data can serve several buyers.

How the deal came together

  1. Stack Overflow packaged its data as an API. The company built OverflowAPI, a subscription product that gives AI developers structured access to its public technical content.
  2. A cloud partner came first. Google Cloud was announced as an earlier partner in February 2024, establishing the product in the market.
  3. OpenAI became a second customer. OpenAI agreed to use OverflowAPI while Stack Overflow adopted OpenAI models for its own AI features.
  4. Terms stayed private. The announcement did not state price or duration.

Takeaways for companies with data

  • Packaging data as a metered API product creates a repeatable offer for several buyers.
  • Two-way deals, where the seller also becomes a customer, are common and affect pricing.
  • Attribution and community trust can be part of what a buyer is paying for.

Sources

Every numbered reference above points to an entry here. Figures come from these pages as of the date shown at the top of the article. Where a source reports a number it got from unnamed people, the text says so.

  1. Stack Overflow signs deal with OpenAI (The Register, May 2024)
  2. Stack Overflow and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership (Stack Overflow, February 2024)

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About the AI Data Deal Tracker

SellYourAIData tracks publicly reported sales and licenses of data to AI companies, with the price, terms and sources for each. Entries are checked against public reporting and updated as deals change. SellYourAIData was not involved in this deal. To ask what your company's data could sell for, get a free valuation. To report a deal, contact us.