OpenAI Discusses $6.0 Billion Employee Share Sale to SoftBank

Cash-out Opportunity for Current and Former Employees with Over Two Years of Service
"A Way to Secure Key AI Talent"

OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is reportedly pursuing an insider share sale worth $6 billion (8.3 trillion won).

On August 16 (local time), Bloomberg reported that current and former OpenAI employees plan to sell shares of this scale to investors including Thrive Capital, SoftBank, and Dragoneer Investment.

Earlier, on August 5, Bloomberg had reported that OpenAI was in discussions to sell insider shares at a company valuation of $500 billion. In March, OpenAI was valued at $300 billion, meaning its valuation has increased further in just five months.

The negotiations are still in the early stages. If the $500 billion valuation is confirmed, OpenAI will surpass Elon Musk's space company SpaceX to become the world's most valuable startup. This share sale is separate from the $40 billion fundraising led by SoftBank.

This share sale aims to provide OpenAI employees with an opportunity to cash out. Bloomberg analyzed that allowing employees to sell their shares is a way for startups to retain key talent without going public or being acquired. OpenAI investors will not be able to participate in this share sale. Only current and former employees who have worked at the company for at least two years are eligible to participate.

Previously, OpenAI reportedly paid special bonuses of up to several million dollars (several billion won) to around 1,000 research and development employees in connection with the launch of GPT-5.

On August 7, CEO Sam Altman stated through the company's internal messenger, "I am grateful to our employees for their outstanding efforts toward building artificial general intelligence (AGI). We have been reviewing our compensation system for the technical team in line with market trends," adding, "As the company continues to improve, we plan to keep increasing compensation as well."