OpenAI Seeks $500 Billion Valuation in Employee Share Sale

OpenAI is reportedly planning a secondary stock sale that would allow current and former employees to sell shares, potentially increasing the company’s valuation to around $500 billion, up significantly from the previous $300 billion valuation. This move would enable employees to cash out part of their holdings and update OpenAI’s private market valuation, reflecting its rapid growth fueled by ChatGPT, which now has approximately 700 million weekly active users. The company has also doubled its revenue to an annualized run rate of $12 billion in 2024, with projections to reach $20 billion by the end of 2025. Major investors such as SoftBank Group and Thrive Capital are involved in the funding rounds and interested in purchasing employee shares during the secondary sale. OpenAI continues to lead the AI industry, recently launching new open-weight large language models and preparing for the release of GPT-5, while expanding its infrastructure to support growing demand. The discussions highlight OpenAI’s position as one of the most valuable private technology companies globally amid a booming AI market.