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ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s valuation has soared to around $500 billion after a major secondary share sale in which current and former employees sold stock worth $6.6 billion.
ChatGPT Valuation.
ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s valuation has soared to around $500 billion after a major secondary share sale in which current and former employees sold stock worth $6.6 billion, according to a Reuters report citing a source familiar with the deal. The jump pushes the ChatGPT maker ahead of SpaceX and ByteDance in terms of private-market valuation.
The latest transaction marks a steep climb from OpenAI’s previous valuation of $300 billion, underscoring its rapid growth in both users and revenue.
Big-Ticket Investors Join In
The shares were snapped up by leading global investors such as Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi-based MGX, and T Rowe Price, the report said. In total, OpenAI has now cleared more than $10 billion worth of stock on the secondary market.
SoftBank’s involvement adds to its earlier participation in the company’s $40 billion primary funding round, further deepening its bet on artificial intelligence.
Revenue Growth Accelerates
Alongside the fundraising, OpenAI has been scaling its revenues sharply. The company generated around $4.3 billion in the first half of 2025, already surpassing 16% more than its entire revenue for 2024, according to The Information.
Battle For AI Talent Heats Up
The blockbuster deal comes amid intensifying competition among tech majors to secure top AI talent. Meta, for example, has invested heavily in Scale AI and recently brought in its 28-year-old founder Alexandr Wang to head its new superintelligence division.
Meanwhile, Tesla owner Elon Musk has become the first person to reach a net worth of nearly $500 billion, and the credit for that goes to a strong rebound in Tesla’s stock and soaring valuations of his other companies.
According to Forbes’ billionaire index, Musk’s total wealth touched $500.1 billion as of 4:15 PM ET on Wednesday. This makes Musk the richest individual in the world, far ahead of other business leaders.
His fortune remains closely tied to Tesla, where he owns a stake of more than 12.4 per cent as of mid-September. The electric carmaker’s shares have gained more than 14 per cent this year, despite facing challenges in sales. On Wednesday alone, Tesla stock closed 3.3 per cent higher, adding more than $6 billion to Musk’s wealth.
Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h…Read More
Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h… Read More
October 02, 2025, 14:33 IST
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