OpenAI finalizes share sale at record $500bn Valuation

October 02, 2025 (MLN): OpenAI has completed a secondary share sale totaling $6.6 billion, cementing its position as the world’s most valuable privately held company with a record $500bn valuation, according to Bloonberg.

The deal allowed current and former employees to sell stock to investors including Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, and T. Rowe Price, CNBC noted.

While the company had authorized up to $10.3bn in shares for sale, only about two-thirds of that amount ultimately changed hands.

Internally, lower-than-expected participation is being viewed as a vote of confidence in OpenAI’s long-term prospects, suggesting that many employees opted to hold onto their equity despite the chance to cash out at a record valuation.

The latest round values OpenAI far above its $300bn mark earlier this year.

The offer was extended in early September to eligible employees and former staff who had held shares for more than two years.

This is the second major tender offer in less than a year for OpenAI, following a $1.5bn sale led by SoftBank in November.

The new valuation pushes OpenAI ahead of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, last valued at $456bn, making it the most valuable private company globally.

The move also comes amid intensifying competition for artificial intelligence talent, with companies like Meta reportedly offering nine-figure compensation packages to attract top researchers.

By enabling secondary share sales, OpenAI joins a growing number of high-profile startups including SpaceX, Stripe, and Databricks that are allowing employees to realize financial gains while remaining private.

The strategy is seen as a way to retain talent, reward long-term contributors, and stave off pressure to pursue an initial public offering.

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