OpenAI prepares for a possible USD 1 trillion IPO: Report

OpenAI is possibly charting a course towards an Intial Public Offering (IPO) that could value the artificial intelligence company at up to USD 1 trillion, according to Reuters. If realised, the public offering would rank among the largest stock market debuts in history.

According to the report, the company is considering filing with securities regulators as early as the second half of 2026. Preliminary discussions have centred on raising atleast USD 60 billion from the listing. While Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has reportedly indicated a 2027 target date to some associates.

An OpenAI spokesperson has also confirmed the company’s long-term focus on building a durable business but stated that an IPO is not its immediate focus, and therefore, it has not set a date.

Shift to public capital

The preparations for a public listing signal a major operational shift for the maker of ChatGPT. The move follows a complex corporate restructuring, which reduced OpenAI's direct financial reliance on its largest backer, Microsoft. The company is still controlled by a nonprofit, now called the OpenAI Foundation, which now holds a 26% stake in the for-profit OpenAI Group and warrants for additional shares tied to performance milestones. This structure makes the Foundation a significant financial stakeholder.

Going public would provide CEO Sam Altman with a more efficient avenue to secure the immense capital required for his ambitious agenda. Altman has expressed plans to pour trillions of dollars into building vast AI infrastructure. During a recent livestream, Altman acknowledged that an IPO is the "most likely path" for the company given the scale of its capital needs.