OpenAI Closes in on $100B Funding at $850B Valuation, Breaking Private Company Records

Quick Facts

• OpenAI seeks $100 billion at a post-money valuation above $850 billion, making it the most valuable private company ever
• Amazon investing up to $50 billion, SoftBank $30 billion, with Microsoft and NVIDIA also participating in the round
• ChatGPT now has over 800 million weekly users and OpenAI hit $20 billion annualized revenue by end of 2025

OpenAI is finalizing a funding round that would raise more than $100 billion at a valuation exceeding $850 billion, according to multiple reports. The deal would cement OpenAI’s position as the most valuable private company in history.

The funding structure includes multiple tranches throughout 2026, with investors settling their allocations by the end of February. The pre-money valuation stands at $730 billion, with the post-money figure climbing to $850 billion or higher after new capital comes in.

Amazon leads the investment with up to $50 billion, followed by SoftBank at $30 billion. Microsoft and NVIDIA are also participating, with NVIDIA committing a potential $20 billion through its partnership with OpenAI.

The funding comes as ChatGPT reaches over 800 million weekly users. CEO Sam Altman told employees in an internal Slack message that ChatGPT is “back to exceeding 10% monthly growth.” The company’s revenue jumped from roughly $6 billion in 2024 to a $20 billion annualized run rate by the end of 2025.

OpenAI plans to use the capital to secure more chips, data center capacity, and long-term compute access. Global AI infrastructure is projected to surge from approximately $90 billion in 2026 to over $465 billion by 2033, showing a compound annual growth rate of around 24%.

The company is also diversifying its revenue streams. OpenAI will officially begin testing ads within ChatGPT, with ads clearly labeled and appearing at the bottom of responses. Altman said the company expects ads to make up less than half of its revenue long term.

Despite rapid growth, OpenAI faces financial challenges. The company is expected to lose $14 billion in 2026 and does not expect profitability before 2029 at the earliest. Public documents point to 2030 for potential profitability.

OpenAI completed its transition to a for-profit Public Benefit Corporation in October 2025 and appointed Ajmere Dale as Chief Accounting Officer in January 2026. The company is eyeing a potential Q4 2026 IPO that could push its valuation past $1 trillion.

Read more: OpenAI reportedly finalizing $100B deal at more than $850B valuation