According to market sources, global artificial intelligence... Leading company OpenAI is preparing for its initial public offering (IPO), which could value the company at up to $1 trillion. This could become the largest IPO in history .
Industry insiders say OpenAI is considering listing on the stock exchange as early as the second half of 2026. Regulators have filed for an IPO, with initial discussions outlining a fundraising target of at least $60 billion .
However, they also cautioned that the negotiations are still in the early stages and plans, including the amount and timing of financing, may change depending on business growth and market conditions.
OpenAI's potential fundraising will surpass any previous IPO. To date, the record for the world's largest IPO is held by oil giant Saudi Aramco, which raised $29.4 billion in its 2019 IPO.
Industry insiders say that OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told several colleagues that the company aimed to go public in 2027. However, some advisors predict the IPO may come earlier, around the end of 2026.
An OpenAI spokesperson responded, "An IPO is not our focus, so it's impossible for us to set a specific date. We are building a sustainable company and advancing our mission to enable everyone to benefit from artificial general intelligence (AGI)."
Industry insiders familiar with OpenAI's ideas say that, given its aim to reduce dependence on Microsoft... With its complex restructuring complete, the upcoming IPO demonstrates a renewed sense of urgency within the company to enter the public market. The IPO will open the door to more efficient fundraising for OpenAI and enable it to conduct larger-scale acquisitions through public stock, helping CEO Altman achieve his plan to invest trillions of dollars in AI infrastructure.
They also stated that OpenAI's annualized revenue is expected to reach approximately $20 billion by the end of the year, but the $500 billion company's operating losses are also widening.
Altman discussed the possibility of OpenAI going public during a live stream on Tuesday. He stated, "Given our funding needs, this is the most likely path for us."
Amidst the revelation of its IPO plans, OpenAI announced this week that it has completed a restructuring, with its nonprofit entity now renamed the OpenAI Foundation, holding a stake in its for-profit division worth approximately $130 billion. OpenAI's for-profit division has been restructured into a Public Benefit Corporation called OpenAI Group PBC.
Under the new structure, the OpenAI Foundation will hold 26% of the equity, while current and former employees and investors will hold a combined 47%. Microsoft , as OpenAI's largest shareholder, will receive 27% of the equity, worth approximately $135 billion.
The most crucial change in this restructuring is the conversion of each investor's investment into ordinary shares and the removal of the previous cap on potential financial returns, thus clearing the way for a potential IPO.
If OpenAI successfully goes public, it will undoubtedly bring significant returns to investors such as Microsoft , SoftBank, Thrive Capital, and Abu Dhabi MGX.
Artificial intelligence is currently driving a boom in public markets. Earlier this year, AI cloud company CoreWeave went public at a valuation of $23 billion, and its market capitalization has now risen to nearly $70 billion. On Wednesday, Nvidia... Becoming the first company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion, its stock price surge has solidified its central position in the global AI boom.
(Article source: CLS)
