OpenAI Employees Set To Cash Out Billions Amid $500 Billion Valuation Talks
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is exploring a major secondary stock sale that could see current and former employees selling around $6 billion in shares, potentially valuing the company at $500 billion, according to multiple reports.
The discussions are reportedly at an early stage, and figures may change as negotiations progress.
SoftBank And Thrive Among Investors Eyeing Shares
Investors reportedly interested in the share sale include existing backers SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, and Thrive Capital.
This secondary offering would allow employees who have been with the company for at least two years to monetise some of their equity, serving both as a financial opportunity and a retention incentive in the highly competitive AI job market.
Revenue Surges With ChatGPT Growth
OpenAI’s revenue has doubled in the first seven months of 2025, reaching an annualised run rate of $12 billion and aiming for $20 billion by year-end.
The company attributes much of this growth to its flagship product, ChatGPT, which now has roughly 700 million weekly active users, up from 400 million in February.
CEO Sam Altman has described the latest GPT-5 model as “generally intelligent” but noted it cannot yet “continuously learn.”
Funding And Expansion Push OpenAI Ahead
The AI firm has previously secured at least $40 billion in funding, including investments from Microsoft and SoftBank, giving it a $300 billion valuation as of March.
The proposed $6 billion secondary share sale adds to SoftBank’s role in OpenAI’s $40 billion primary funding round, and reflects growing investor appetite as the company expands.
OpenAI has also completed a $6.5 billion all-stock acquisition of AI device startup io, backed by designer Jony Ive.
OpenAI Challenges Rivals While Facing Criticism
While OpenAI continues to lead in AI innovation, it faces intense competition from global tech giants Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, which collectively spent $155 billion on AI development in 2025 alone.
Despite rapid user growth, GPT-5 received mixed feedback, with users noting the model’s writing quality and personality fell short compared with previous versions.
Ambitious Plans Point To A High-Stakes Future
Sam Altman has emphasised OpenAI’s focus on developing “artificial general intelligence” capable of outperforming humans in most tasks.
The company plans substantial investments in data centres and infrastructure to meet growing AI computing demands, while navigating complex partnerships and revenue-sharing agreements, particularly with major backer Microsoft.
The proposed secondary share sale and valuation leap highlight OpenAI’s rapid rise and the stakes involved as the AI landscape becomes increasingly crowded and competitive.
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