Microsoft Acquires Kissy Face Emoji for $30 Billion in Bold Bet on Openness
In a move the company says demonstrates its 'deep and unwavering commitment to open models,' Microsoft has purchased the 😘 emoji for $30 billion.
REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft announced today it has acquired 😘 for $30 billion, in a move the company says demonstrates its “deep and unwavering commitment to open models.”
“Nvidia bought a hugging face. We bought a kissy face,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. “We went further, because we are more open.”
The acquisition gives Microsoft exclusive rights to 😘 across all enterprise surfaces. Azure customers will retain access to 😘 at no additional cost through 2027, after which it moves to consumption-based pricing at $0.004 per deployment.
The Emoji Arms Race Heats Up
Elsewhere, SpaceX has filed to trademark the rocket 🚀, citing “obvious and longstanding first-party association.” Every seed round announcement on LinkedIn is now, technically, an unlicensed use.
Anthropic declined to acquire an emoji, noting that it had considered 🤷♂️ but concluded it was not safe to deploy at scale.
Market Reaction
Wall Street reacted positively to the news, with Microsoft shares rising 3% in after-hours trading. Analysts called the deal “inevitable” and “honestly kind of fair pricing for a kissy face in this market.”
Meanwhile, Coreweave has secured a contract for the ⚡ emoji but PG&E won’t deliver it until 2031.
Google, for its part, issued a brief statement saying it had “invented emojis first” and would be releasing a competing kissy face “in the coming months, initially in beta, for select Workspace Enterprise Plus customers.”