OpenAI Valued at $500B After $6.6B Sale

OpenAI completed a roughly $6.6 billion secondary share sale that values the company at about $500 billion and makes it the world’s most valuable private startup. Current and former employees sold shares to investors including SoftBank, Thrive Capital, Dragoneer, Abu Dhabi’s MGX and T. Rowe Price through an authorized secondary program of roughly $10–10.3 billion, routing cash to employees rather than to the company as a retention and liquidity tool. The transaction lifts OpenAI from a valuation near $300 billion earlier this year and comes as the company reported about $4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025 and lines up large infrastructure and partnership commitments. Market demand driven by investor FOMO helped fuel the deal even as some analysts warn of bubble risks in the AI sector. The share sale also intersects with strategic and legal questions — including OpenAI’s contemplated conversion to a Public Benefit Corporation and disputes involving founders such as Elon Musk — that could affect future fundraising and governance.