On August 5 (local time), Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is in discussions regarding an internal stock sale that would value the company at $500 billion (approximately 695 trillion won).
According to the sources, existing OpenAI investors, including Tribe Capital, have proposed purchasing billions of dollars worth of OpenAI shares held by current and former employees.
If this stock transaction is completed, OpenAI will be valued at $500 billion, making it the world's largest private company. Previously, in April, OpenAI raised $40 billion from investors including SoftBank, which valued the company at $300 billion. This means its valuation has increased by $200 billion in just four months.
The sources stated that OpenAI aims to provide liquidity to its employees that reflects the company's growth by leveraging investor demand. Major U.S. startups often engage in stock sale negotiations to offer compensation to employees and attract external investors. Bloomberg explained that, as Meta has recently been recruiting talent from leading tech firms such as OpenAI and Apple by offering massive salaries, this internal stock sale could help OpenAI retain its employees.
This week, OpenAI announced that it expects ChatGPT to reach 700 million weekly active users. At the end of March, the number of weekly active users was 500 million.
According to IT-specialized media outlet The Information, OpenAI recorded an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $12 billion from January to July this year.
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