Firms Undertake Strategic Shifts Involving AI, Data, and Submarine Cable Connectivity - October 2025

OpenAI has officially transitioned into a for-profit entity, a move that could pave the way for a stock market listing and includes revised partnership terms with Microsoft, which now holds a 27% stake. This comes amid debates over AI's role in recent job cuts at major companies like Amazon. Meanwhile, to boost digital connectivity in East Africa, Meta has partnered with Safaricom to deploy a high-capacity submarine cable linking Oman and Kenya. In a related trend, Kenya's Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising industry is embracing technology and data-driven strategies for future growth. The industry aims to move from intuitive decision-making to intelligence-backed planning to enhance campaign measurement, as discussed at a conference in Nairobi.