OpenAI in talks with investors about share sale at $500 billion valuation

OpenAI is in early talks with investors about a potential secondary stock sale valuing the company at around $500 billion, with current and former employees selling shares. Thrive Capital, an existing investor, may lead the round. OpenAI’s valuation has surged since launching ChatGPT in 2022, reaching $300 billion after a $40 billion funding round earlier this year. Recently, OpenAI released new open‑weight language models and reported nearly 700 million weekly active ChatGPT users. Meanwhile, rival Anthropic is seeking $3–5 billion in funding at a $170 billion valuation, CNBC has reported. OpenAI’s annual recurring revenue is expected to exceed $20 billion by year‑end.