Artificial intelligence (AI) giant OpenAI is targeting an initial public offering (IPO) that could value the company at as much as $1 trillion, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The IPO could come as early as the second half of 2026, according to the report, citing three people familiar with the matter.
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar has told some employees that the firm is aiming for an IPO in 2027, but some advisers predict it could come sooner, the people said.
Tapping public markets for investment will help OpenAI reduce its reliance on Microsoft ( MSFT ), which owns a 27% stake in the company following a recent recapitalization.
OpenAI’s products such as chat assistant ChatGPT saw artificial intelligence tools explode in mainstream use a few years ago. Other major tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta and X (formerly Twitter) have all rolled out AI assistants subsequently.
As such, AI has become the bellwether for the general technology sector, which often correlates with the cryptocurrency market, as both are considered risky investments.
OpenAI may have generated an $11.5 billion loss last quarter, The Register reported Wednesday, citing Microsoft’s quarterly earnings.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.
Earlier this month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he thinks “there are a lot of parts of AI that … are kind of exuberant right now” during the company’s DevDay, the BBC reported, adding that Altman was trying to differentiate his company from its competitors.
