OpenAI Reaches $500 Billion Valuation

OpenAI has completed a share-sale deal involving former and current employees, reaching a reported valuation of $500 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter.

According to Reuters, anonymous sources confirmed OpenAI authorized employees to sell up to $10 billion worth of shares to a group of investors, including SoftBank, Thrive Capital, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, T. Rowe Price, and Dragoneer Investment Group..

Employees ultimately sold $6.6 billion worth of shares, below the authorized amount—a move viewed as a positive sign of confidence in the company’s long-term future.

OpenAI has reportedly now reached a $500 billion valuation, a sharp increase as the company was valued at $300 billion in August. The startup has been growing at a fast pace in the past few years, especially considering that it was valued at $157 billion by this time last year, meaning it has more than doubled its value within less than 1 year.

According to CNBC, only former and current employees who had held OpenAI shares for more than two years were eligible to participate in the sale, which was first announced in early September.

This deal awards OpenAI the status of “the world’s most valuable privately held company.” The AI startup has surpassed SpaceX, which is currently valued at approximately $456 billion.

The transaction is also seen as a strategy to reward and retain employees, while postponing or potentially avoiding an initial public offering (IPO).

In the first half of 2025, OpenAI reportedly generated about $4.3 billion in revenue, already exceeding its full-year 2024 revenue by 16%, according to The Information.

Other AI companies have also been closing new deals to grow and expand in the fertile AI market. A few weeks ago, Anthropic raised $13 billion in funding, reaching a valuation of $185 billion.