Microsoft laid the groundwork in its deal with Inflection, closely followed by Amazon's faux acquisition of Adept.
It's a playbook that skirts regulators and their crackdown on Big Tech dominance, provides an exit for AI startups struggling to make money and allows megacaps to pick up the talent needed in the AI arms race.
But while tech giants might think they're outsmarting antitrust enforcers, they could be playing with fire.