OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has reached a valuation of $500 billion after a share sale by employees, reported news agency Reuters. The deal involved current and former employees selling about $6.6 billion worth of shares to investors.
The latest valuation marks a sharp rise from the company’s previous valuation of $300 billion and highlights how quickly OpenAI’s value has grown as demand for artificial intelligence tools continues to rise. .
INVESTORS IN THE DEAL
The buyers in this round included a consortium of large global investors such as Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, and T. Rowe Price, according to the Reuters report.
The company had authorised more than $10 billion worth of stock sales on the secondary market, although the current transaction was lower at $6.6 billion.
Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer, MGX and T. Rowe Price did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
This share sale comes on top of earlier funding rounds. SoftBank had previously invested in OpenAI through its $40 billion primary funding round, further strengthening its bet on the future of artificial intelligence.
RAPID REVENUE GROWTH
OpenAI’s financial performance has also been improving quickly. According to a report by The Information earlier this week, the company generated around $4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, which is already about 16% higher than its total revenue for all of 2024.
The strong growth in revenue has supported its rising valuation and shows how demand for AI products such as ChatGPT and other tools is expanding across industries.
COMPETITION FOR AI TALENT
The sale also comes at a time when global technology companies are competing aggressively for talent in the AI sector. Firms are offering high compensation packages to attract top engineers and researchers.
Meta, for example, has invested billions into Scale AI and recently hired the company’s 28-year-old chief executive Alexandr Wang to lead its new super intelligence unit.
This competition has pushed valuations of AI companies higher as investors and technology firms position themselves to capture growth in the fast-moving sector.
