OpenAI, the company responsible for developing ChatGPT, is now worth $500 billion after current and former employees sold $6,6 billion in shares. The information was reported by Reuters and Bloomberg.
Until recently, the technology company led by Sam Altman was valued at $300 billion. With the new valuation, OpenAI surpasses Elon Musk's SpaceX to become the world's most valuable startup, according to Bloomberg.
Even without showing profits, the company has strengthened its presence through strategic partnerships in the area of technological infrastructure, involving companies such as Oracle and SK Hynix.
The shares were acquired by a consortium of investors including Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, MGX, and T. Rowe Price, according to Reuters. The same source states that OpenAI had authorization to sell up to $10 billion in shares on the secondary market.
This deal follows a previous investment from SoftBank, which had already injected $40 billion into the company in a primary financing round.
The move comes amid fierce competition among tech giants for leadership in the artificial intelligence sector. One example is Meta, which has invested billions in Scale AI and recruited its 28-year-old founder and CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead a new unit dedicated to superintelligence.
