Sam Altman eyes IPO debut within a year – Firstpost

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, could make its long-awaited stock market debut within the next year, with CEO Sam Altman telling employees that he expects the artificial intelligence giant to go public in that timeframe, according to a report by The Information.

The development comes days after OpenAI confirmed that it had confidentially filed for a US initial public offering (IPO), joining rival Anthropic in the race to tap surging investor appetite for artificial intelligence companies.

The Microsoft-backed AI startup has not disclosed the size, terms, or exact timeline of the potential offering. The company said it could take time before going public, as some strategic moves may be easier to execute while remaining private.

“It may be a while because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company,” OpenAI said in a statement.

According to reports, OpenAI is eyeing a valuation of up to $1 trillion in its public listing, which could happen as early as September if market conditions and internal plans align. Such a valuation would make OpenAI’s IPO one of the most significant technology listings ever.

Altman reportedly told staff that the confidential filing gives OpenAI flexibility, adding that “many things could cause it to be sooner or later.” He also suggested that major technological breakthroughs, including AI systems capable of improving themselves — a concept known as recursive self-improvement — could affect the urgency of going public.

AI giants race toward public markets

OpenAI’s IPO plans come as competition in the artificial intelligence industry intensifies. Rival Anthropic, the creator of Claude AI, has also confidentially filed for a US listing after a major funding round that reportedly valued the company close to $1 trillion.

The expected public offerings of OpenAI and Anthropic could mark a turning point for the AI industry, which has become one of the biggest investment themes of the decade.

OpenAI has seen explosive growth since launching ChatGPT, attracting billions of dollars from investors including Microsoft, SoftBank, Amazon, and Nvidia. The company earlier disclosed that ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly active users and over 50 million consumer subscribers.

The company’s revenue has also accelerated sharply, with reports suggesting OpenAI was generating around $2 billion in monthly revenue earlier this year. However, the AI firm has reportedly told investors it does not expect to become profitable until 2030 due to the massive costs involved in developing advanced AI systems.

From nonprofit roots to trillion-dollar ambitions

Founded in 2015 as a nonprofit AI research organisation, OpenAI later created a for-profit arm to attract the capital needed to build increasingly powerful AI models.
Its structure has faced scrutiny, including a legal battle with co-founder Elon Musk, who accused the company of drifting away from its original mission. A US jury recently ruled against Musk, removing a major uncertainty hanging over OpenAI’s IPO plans.

If successful, OpenAI’s market debut could become a defining moment for the artificial intelligence era and test whether Wall Street’s enthusiasm for AI can support trillion-dollar valuations.