OpenAI, a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), is exploring an initial public offering (IPO) that may value the company at up to $1 trillion, as reported by Reuters on Wednesday.
This IPO could potentially occur in the latter half of 2026, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s chief financial officer, mentioned to some colleagues that a 2027 IPO is the target, although some advisors believe it could happen sooner.
By tapping into public markets for funding, OpenAI can decrease its dependency on Microsoft (MSFT), which currently holds a 27% ownership stake in the company after a recent recapitalization.
OpenAI’s offerings, including the ChatGPT conversational assistant, have catalyzed the rapid integration of AI tools into mainstream usage over the past few years. Other major tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, and X (formerly Twitter) have since launched their own AI assistants.
Consequently, AI has emerged as a key indicator for the broader technology sector, often showing correlation with the cryptocurrency market, as both sectors are seen as high-risk investments.
According to a report from The Register, OpenAI might have experienced a loss of $11.5 billion in the previous quarter, based on Microsoft’s quarterly earnings.
OpenAI has not yet responded to CoinDesk’s request for a statement.
Earlier in the month, CEO Sam Altman expressed his belief that “there are many parts of AI that … are kind of bubbly right now” during the company’s DevDay, as reported by the BBC, emphasizing his efforts to differentiate his company from its competitors.
