OpenAI is engaged in discussions with investors regarding a secondary share sale that could value the company at approximately $500 billion, according to two sources.
These early-stage discussions involve current and former employees selling shares. Thrive Capital, an existing investor, may lead this potential funding round. Bloomberg first reported on these talks.
OpenAI’s valuation has increased since its ChatGPT launch in late 2022. The company announced a $40 billion funding round in March, which valued it at $300 billion. This sum represented the largest amount ever raised by a private technology company. An $8.3 billion tranche tied to that funding round was announced last week.
On Tuesday, OpenAI released two open-weight language models, the first since GPT-2 in 2019. These models are intended to provide lower-cost options that developers and researchers can easily operate and customize, according to OpenAI. The company also stated this week that ChatGPT was approaching 700 million weekly active users.
OpenAI’s competitor, Anthropic, is conducting talks to secure between $3 billion and $5 billion in new funding, potentially led by Iconiq Capital. This could result in a valuation of $170 billion for Anthropic, an increase from its $61.5 billion valuation in March.
CNBC previously reported that OpenAI’s annual recurring revenue is projected to exceed $20 billion by year-end, an increase from $10 billion in June.
