OpenAI Reportedly Seeks $30 Billion at $1.4 Trillion Valuation as IPO Slips to 2027
Key Takeaways
- •OpenAI is reportedly seeking $30 billion in new funding at a $1.4 trillion valuation, though talks are at an early stage and the size, structure, and valuation could still change.
- •The proposed valuation would represent an increase of roughly 64% over the $852 billion valuation set in March, when OpenAI raised $122 billion in a private funding round.
- •OpenAI has pushed its IPO to 2027 at the earliest, with CEO Sam Altman saying a 2026 public listing would be "ill-advised" while the company focuses on AI safety.
- •OpenAI confidentially filed IPO paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in June, and Altman recently addressed the UN Security Council on the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems.
- •Rival Anthropic is moving ahead with plans to go public this year in an IPO that could value it at more than $2 trillion, potentially reaching public markets before OpenAI.
OpenAI is reportedly seeking another $30 billion from investors in a funding round that could value the ChatGPT developer at $1.4 trillion — a figure that would make it one of the world’s most valuable companies even before it reaches the public markets.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company is in the early stages of discussions for the new round, with investor demand driving the talks. As the talks are at an early stage, the size, structure, and valuation of any final agreement could still change from what is currently proposed.
If finalized at the proposed level, the valuation would represent an increase of roughly 64% over OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation from March, when the company raised $122 billion. Every valuation mark OpenAI has set so far has come from private funding rounds, since the company has yet to list shares on any public exchange.
The fundraising talks arrive as OpenAI pushes its long-awaited public market debut to 2027 at the earliest. Chief Executive Sam Altman said earlier this month that going public in 2026 would be “ill-advised” as the company focuses on AI safety, a stance he shared in an interview with Fortune. OpenAI confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in June.
Altman has also been active on the policy front. Earlier this month, he spoke before the United Nations Security Council about the potential risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
Meanwhile, rival Anthropic, the developer behind the Claude AI assistant, is moving ahead with plans to go public this year in an IPO that could value the company at more than $2 trillion. If Anthropic completes its listing on schedule, it would reach public markets before OpenAI, whose debut is not expected before 2027 at the earliest. The near-term developments to watch are whether OpenAI’s talks produce a finalized round at the proposed size, and how quickly Anthropic’s listing moves forward.
Related: OpenAI discloses 6 new cases of ‘misaligned’ AI behavior
