The maker of ChatGPT is on the verge of becoming the world's most valuable private company. OpenAI is in talks to sell $6bn in shares, which would boost its valuation to $500bn, according to multiple reports. The stock would be sold to investors by current and former employees.
OpenAI has seen exponential growth over the past year. Investors, including Microsoft and SoftBank, have poured at least $40bn into the startup, giving it a valuation of $300bn as of March. Last October, it was valued at $157bn. If achieved, the $500bn valuation would surpass Elon Musk's SpaceX, currently the world's most valuable privately held company at $350bn.
The reported cohort of investors eyeing the share sale includes three firms that have already invested: SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group and Thrive Capital. According to Bloomberg, the talks are in early stages and numbers could change. OpenAI declined to comment.
OpenAI leads a crowded and competitive race, with tech giants Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft spending enormous sums on AI development. The four companies have spent a combined $155bn on AI in 2025 alone.
Although AI has improved since ChatGPT's release in 2022, the debut of GPT-5 earlier this month received a lukewarm reception. Users said the new model's writing was worse and lacked personality. CEO Sam Altman said GPT-5 was 'generally intelligent' but not yet able to 'continuously learn'.
AI companies face increasing regulatory scrutiny over chatbots that create harmful conversations or manipulate users.
