Stripe's OpenRouter deal, its largest-ever acquisition, is a bet on a future where users turn to a mix of AI models and gives it a foothold in the token market (Kate Clark/Wall Street Journal)

Stripe’s acquisition of OpenRouter, its largest deal yet, positions the company to support a future where users access a mix of AI models and rely on tokens as the primary business currency. OpenRouter was founded by an NFT entrepreneur, and the purchase signals Stripe’s commitment to becoming a key player in the emerging token-based AI ecosystem.