OpenAI eyes $500b valuation as employee stock sale looms

• Should the secondary sale move forward, OpenAI would solidify its position as one of the globe’s most valuable private companies.

OpenAI is reportedly in the early phases of negotiating a significant stock sale for current and former employees, which could value the AI innovator at a staggering $500 billion.

The prospective valuation marks a dramatic increase from the company’s previous $300 billion figure seen during an earlier financing round steered by SoftBank Group Corp.

Sources familiar with the ongoing discussions suggest that billions of dollars’ worth of shares could soon change hands, as leading existing investors—such as Thrive Capital—have approached OpenAI about purchasing additional equity from employees.

Should the secondary sale move forward, OpenAI would solidify its position as one of the globe’s most valuable private companies, underscoring investor excitement about generative AI’s transformative potential.

Secondary offerings such as these are often orchestrated by successful startups to reward and retain employees, while also giving outside investors’ access to sought-after company shares.

The news follows closely on the heels of OpenAI securing $8.3 billion from a syndicate of investors in the second phase of that $40 billion financing, with demand outstripping available shares by roughly fivefold. The fundraising surpassed schedule, further spotlighting OpenAI’s surging market appeal.

Incentivising team members

The move to open a secondary sale also arrives at a pivotal time for OpenAI’s workforce. Over recent months, the company has lost several top research staffers to Meta Platforms Inc., which has been luring talent from leading tech firms like Apple as it assembles what it calls a “superintelligence” team.

Rumours point to lavish, nine-figure compensation packages being offered, intensifying the competition for AI talent. By enabling employees to sell shares at such elevated valuations, OpenAI hopes to incentivise team members to remain—offering an enticing form of liquidity and reward tied to the company’s phenomenal growth.

Meanwhile, OpenAI continues to make bold moves in tech and product. Recent milestones include releasing AI models capable of mimicking complex human reasoning and preparing for the hotly anticipated launch of the next-generation GPT-5.

Such advancements are keeping OpenAI ahead of rivals, including China’s DeepSeek, which has also made noise in the space with open-source offerings.

ChatGPT usage has grown dramatically as well; the company anticipates reaching 700 million weekly active users, up from 500 million reported at the end of March, and daily user messages now exceed 3 billion.

Challenges ahead

In May, OpenAI also took a major leap toward hardware development by announcing the planned $6.5 billion all-stock acquisition of an AI device startup co-founded by renowned Apple designer Jony Ive.

But there are challenges ahead. OpenAI is currently engaged in parallel negotiations about its future corporate structure, a process that has stretched for months. The core issue involves Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest financier (with $13.75 billion invested) and the company’s right to access and use OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Reports indicate Microsoft is holding out as corporate restructuring talks proceed, aiming to clarify and secure its own interests before the current arrangement expires in 2030. The evolving partnership introduces uncertainty—even as OpenAI cements its influence at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence.