OpenAI's Valuation Soars 3300% to 5000 Billion Dollars, Employees to Cash In

OpenAI, a prominent artificial intelligence company, is currently in early-stage negotiations to facilitate a secondary market transaction for its employee stock options. The company's valuation has skyrocketed to 5000 billion dollars, representing a remarkable 33-fold increase from its valuation of 150 billion dollars just two years ago. This initiative aims to allow current and former employees to cash in on their stock options, underscoring the significant growth in the company's value driven by its leading position in the AI industry.

The proposed transaction involves the sale of tens of billions of dollars worth of stock. Several existing investors, including Thrive Capital, have expressed interest in acquiring these shares. This move follows a recent funding round where OpenAI was valued at 3000 billion dollars, led by SoftBank. The current discussions are part of a broader strategy to reward and retain employees while attracting additional external investment.

OpenAI has been actively involved in various funding activities. In its most recent funding round, the company secured 400 billion dollars at a valuation of 3000 billion dollars, with SoftBank leading the investment. Additionally, last week, a consortium of investors injected 83 billion dollars into OpenAI as part of the second tranche of this funding round, which was oversubscribed by approximately five times.

OpenAI's recent technological advancements have been notable. The company has launched several new products and platforms, including a new open-source platform. It is also preparing to release its latest GPT-5 model. These technological developments have provided strong support for the company's valuation increase and further solidified its technological leadership in the AI sector.

Since 2021, OpenAI's employees and former employees have collectively cashed in nearly 30 billion dollars through multiple stock sales. As the company's largest backer, SoftBank acquired approximately half of these shares. This trend highlights the growing interest and confidence in OpenAI's future prospects, driven by its continuous innovation and market leadership.