I was more skeptical of openrouter a year ago. Not hard to implement multiple models, but after getting burned multiple times (eg Google in particular) I see openrouter as serving a few key functions: (1) aggregating demand across neoclouds for performance etc (2) providing a great developer experience (3) easily switching models and normalizing the idiosyncratic nature of each. There are so many (good) model providers today this is more compelling now with 10+ solid model companies than a year ago when I thought it might be just 3.
So I have shifted load away from calling some models to openrouter.
Basically if you look at OpenRouter in a isolation this could be confusing, but when bundled with Stripe's integrated product solutions for the lower end, developer centric market, this makes infitite sense.
https://s-1.vercel.app/posts/what-stripe-can-become-broader-...
Why do you need 10? One or two fallbacks is sufficent. Maybe my workloads are vastly different than yours but I’m not a huge fan of having to switch between models. Even within a single model determinism sucks, debugging why something worked yesterday and doesn’t work today because a model switch is not fun. I can’t imagine the pain of having our services flip randomly between 10 different models.
If LLM providers continue grow and become such a standard part of the tech stack of any deployment, this acquisition makes a lot of sense. It's just another payment management system for stripe.
It's fun to see someone being able to exit so well without owning any model.
The acquisition makes no sense, as most LLM providers only reason not to forbid them right now, is because they were funded by exactly the same VCs as the providers. Go check.
Of all the no moats they are the example of no moat. Its seconds switch to another router if even that is tolerated. And lets not even talk, the lack of compliance in an enterprise environment, and as they defer to providers on that...
But the acquisition makes a LOT of SENSE, if you realize that as the same VCs sit on Stripe, Anthropic, OpenAI and most important OpenRouter. Said VCs have a lot of interest in recovering their money...by pushing one of their companies to buy another one of their own, before LLMs providers financial pressures cut OpenRouter legs.
Is this stuff even legal? I will wait for Patrick Boyle video...
> And lets not even talk, the lack of compliance in an enterprise environment, and as they defer to providers on that...
A middleman that adds compliance & regulation while skimming a slice off the top for themselves: You just described credit cards - stripe's core business...
Stripe isn’t exactly a dumb company. When someone smart does something seemingly super dumb, more likely than not you’re the one missing something, not them. It’s an opportunity to ask, “what am I missing?”, and learn from it.
> I didn't say it was super dumb, it was more of a reflection on that's how much a wrapper is worth today.
Are you sure that the value is in the wrapper and not rather in the fact that investors who invested into OpenRouter also invested into companies that can buy OpenRouter? ;-)
I guess hardly anybody claims that. I think the suspicion is rather about whether there exist some other "puppetmasters" (e.g. venture capitalists) who pressured Stripe into buying OpenRouter.
I was more skeptical of openrouter a year ago. Not hard to implement multiple models, but after getting burned multiple times (eg Google in particular) I see openrouter as serving a few key functions: (1) aggregating demand across neoclouds for performance etc (2) providing a great developer experience (3) easily switching models and normalizing the idiosyncratic nature of each. There are so many (good) model providers today this is more compelling now with 10+ solid model companies than a year ago when I thought it might be just 3.
So I have shifted load away from calling some models to openrouter.
positioning for commoditization of intelligence
Basically if you look at OpenRouter in a isolation this could be confusing, but when bundled with Stripe's integrated product solutions for the lower end, developer centric market, this makes infitite sense. https://s-1.vercel.app/posts/what-stripe-can-become-broader-...
https://archive.is/A2Yw4
makes sense - https://s-1.vercel.app/posts/why-openrouter-can-be-the-next-...
The harness is the router. I don't understand this.
You don't have to spread your payment info to 10 different places ? You pay a fee for centralized API credits
Payment processing for tokens - sounds like the thing Stripe does.
Why do you need 10? One or two fallbacks is sufficent. Maybe my workloads are vastly different than yours but I’m not a huge fan of having to switch between models. Even within a single model determinism sucks, debugging why something worked yesterday and doesn’t work today because a model switch is not fun. I can’t imagine the pain of having our services flip randomly between 10 different models.
Where is the guy who marks all the dupes? Day off? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49323381
If LLM providers continue grow and become such a standard part of the tech stack of any deployment, this acquisition makes a lot of sense. It's just another payment management system for stripe.
It's fun to see someone being able to exit so well without owning any model.
The acquisition makes no sense, as most LLM providers only reason not to forbid them right now, is because they were funded by exactly the same VCs as the providers. Go check.
Of all the no moats they are the example of no moat. Its seconds switch to another router if even that is tolerated. And lets not even talk, the lack of compliance in an enterprise environment, and as they defer to providers on that...
But the acquisition makes a LOT of SENSE, if you realize that as the same VCs sit on Stripe, Anthropic, OpenAI and most important OpenRouter. Said VCs have a lot of interest in recovering their money...by pushing one of their companies to buy another one of their own, before LLMs providers financial pressures cut OpenRouter legs.
Is this stuff even legal? I will wait for Patrick Boyle video...
> And lets not even talk, the lack of compliance in an enterprise environment, and as they defer to providers on that...
A middleman that adds compliance & regulation while skimming a slice off the top for themselves: You just described credit cards - stripe's core business...
Another bottomless money pit.
7B for a wrapper.
Stripe isn’t exactly a dumb company. When someone smart does something seemingly super dumb, more likely than not you’re the one missing something, not them. It’s an opportunity to ask, “what am I missing?”, and learn from it.
I didn't say it was super dumb, it was more of a reflection on that's how much a wrapper is worth today.
> I didn't say it was super dumb, it was more of a reflection on that's how much a wrapper is worth today.
Are you sure that the value is in the wrapper and not rather in the fact that investors who invested into OpenRouter also invested into companies that can buy OpenRouter? ;-)
(see also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49330668 ).
> Stripe isn’t exactly a dumb company.
I guess hardly anybody claims that. I think the suspicion is rather about whether there exist some other "puppetmasters" (e.g. venture capitalists) who pressured Stripe into buying OpenRouter.
Stripe is a wrapper too. Single API key and unified DX atop a world of divergent providers.
Adding support to yet another LLM API provider is order of magnitude easier (at least) than adding anything in finance domain
For a wrapper that collects a bunch of data. Think of this purchase like Zucks investment in ScaleAI.
No not all, it is a broader bundling strategy for Stripe - https://s-1.vercel.app/posts/what-stripe-can-become-broader-...
For traction...