OpenAI Surpasses SpaceX with $500 Billion Valuation After $6.6 Billion Share Sale

OpenAI has reached a $500 billion valuation following a secondary share sale where employees sold $6.6 billion worth of stock to investors such as Thrive Capital, SoftBank, and Abu Dhabi's MGX, surpassing SpaceX's $400 billion valuation to become the world's most valuable startup. This valuation leap from $300 billion earlier in the year highlights strong investor enthusiasm and positions OpenAI as a dominant force in artificial intelligence, backed by strategic partnerships with companies like Oracle, SK Hynix, and NVIDIA. Despite not yet being profitable, OpenAI is rapidly scaling its infrastructure and expanding product offerings, including the recent GPT-5 launch, to maintain its competitive edge against rivals like Google, Anthropic, and Meta, which is aggressively recruiting AI talent. The company's secondary share sale also serves to retain talent amid intense competition and reflects confidence in OpenAI's long-term growth prospects. OpenAI's rise underscores the growing prominence of AI-focused companies in private markets and the U.S.'s leading role in the AI race, as it overtakes major tech firms and highlights increasing integration between AI and blockchain technologies. Investor demand for AI continues to grow, with companies like Galaxy Digital emphasizing AI's expanding role in their strategies, signaling a broader convergence of AI with other emerging tech sectors.