Current and former employees of OpenAI are in discussions to sell nearly $6 billion worth of shares in a secondary transaction to major investors including SoftBank Group, Thrive Capital, and Dragoneer Investment Group, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, reports Reuters.
The deal, if finalized, would value OpenAI at approximately $500 billion, a dramatic jump from its current valuation of around $300 billion. The move highlights the growing investor appetite for artificial intelligence and underscores OpenAI’s rapid commercial and user growth, led by its flagship product, ChatGPT.
According to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development, the talks are still in early stages, and the size of the transaction could change. None of the investment firms involved immediately responded to requests for comment.
This potential share sale adds to SoftBank’s role in leading OpenAI’s $40 billion primary funding round, further cementing its position as a key backer of the AI firm.
OpenAI has seen explosive growth in 2025. The company’s revenue has doubled in the first seven months of the year, reaching an annualized run rate of $12 billion, and is on pace to hit $20 billion by year-end, according to earlier reporting by Reuters. Meanwhile, weekly active users of ChatGPT products have surged to 700 million, up from 400 million in February.
The possible transaction underscores OpenAI’s rising influence in the AI landscape and the intensifying competition among investors to secure a stake in what is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
