OpenAI investors propose $1.2 trillion valuation for new funding round
Investors in OpenAI have reportedly approached the company with proposals to launch a new funding round, citing a potential valuation of $1.2 trillion. According to unnamed sources, the discussion would also allow employees to sell shares, but OpenAI has not entered any formal negotiations.
Key points
- Investors floated a $1.2 trillion valuation for a new OpenAI funding round
- OpenAI raised $122 billion at $852 billion valuation in March, filing a confidential IPO prospectus in June
- CFO Sarah Friar said the company plans to go public in 2027, with a possible earlier debut if growth continues
The move comes after OpenAI raised $122 billion at an $852 billion valuation in March, and after the organization filed a confidential IPO prospectus in June. CFO Sarah Friar told staff that the company plans to go public in 2027, though an earlier debut is possible if growth continues.
If a new round materializes, it would reinforce OpenAI’s status as one of the most valuable private tech firms and could set a new benchmark for AI company valuations. The proposal also signals continued investor confidence in the company’s commercial prospects and its upcoming public listing.
The story so far
4 episodes →- OpenAI investors propose $1.2 trillion valuation for new funding round this story
OpenAI investors have approached the company about a new funding round
CNBC Technology · 16 September 2026
OpenAI investors have approached the company with proposals to kickstart a new funding round, but no formal discussions are underway, multiple sources told CNBC.
Investors have floated a $1.2 trillion valuation to OpenAI, and some have positioned the potential new funding round as a way for employees to sell stock, according to the people, who asked not to be named in order to discuss nonpublic information.
OpenAI, which raised $122 billion at a $852 billion valuation in March, is not currently engaged in conversations, the people said.
OpenAI declined to comment. The Financial Times was first to report the potential round.
OpenAI burst onto the mainstream in 2022 following the launch of its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, and it's ballooned into one of the most valuable private companies in the world.
The startup is gearing up for what is widely expected to be a blockbuster IPO next year, after it confidentially filed its prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June.
Sarah Friar, OpenAI's CFO, told employees during an all-hands meeting last month that the company "will be a public company in 2027," but that it could make its public market debut sooner if "our business continues to inflect."
CNBC's Kate Rooney and David Faber contributed to this article
WATCH: OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar: I am a tech optimist, but it is also important to align around safety
This text was published by CNBC Technology and written by Ashley Capoot. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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