According to Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the matter, artificial intelligence giant OpenAI is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) with a potential valuation of up to $1 trillion (approximately 7.1 trillion yuan), which could become one of the largest IPOs in history. An OpenAI spokesperson subsequently responded, "An IPO is not our focus, so we cannot set a specific date. We are building a sustainable company and advancing our mission to make artificial general intelligence accessible to everyone."
The report states that sources revealed OpenAI expects annualized revenue of $20 billion (approximately 142.062 billion yuan) by the end of the year, but the company's losses are still widening despite a market capitalization of $500 billion. CEO Altman, speaking about the possibility of an IPO in a live stream on Tuesday, said, "Given the capital we need, this path is likely the most feasible."
OpenAI was initially founded as a non-profit in 2015, but later restructured to give the non-profit organization oversight of its for-profit divisions, ensuring that the safety of technology development takes precedence over profits. This week, the company underwent another restructuring, with the non-profit organization (now called the OpenAI Foundation) holding a 26% stake in OpenAI Group and having the option to acquire additional shares upon achieving specific milestones through warrants, further strengthening its financial participation.
If the IPO is successful, early investors such as SoftBank, Thrive Capital, and Abu Dhabi's MGX will reap substantial returns. Microsoft, a major backer, currently holds approximately 27% of the shares after investing $13 billion. Industry analysts point out that the current AI sector is driving a public market boom; for example, CoreWeave's stock price tripled after its IPO, and Nvidia's market capitalization surpassed $5 trillion. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that OpenAI might choose to go public in 2027, but the company has not yet announced a specific timeline.
