Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 19
OpenAI Targets 2027 IPO as Revenue Run Rate Tops $40 Billion
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 19

OpenAI Targets 2027 IPO as Revenue Run Rate Tops $40 Billion

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 19

Summary

  • Sarah Friar told employees OpenAI will be public by 2027 and could list sooner if business momentum keeps accelerating.
  • $40 billion in annualized revenue run rate and $6.7 billion in second-quarter revenue underpin that timeline, with internal slides showing quarter-to-date run-rate growth of 35% overall and 50% in enterprise.
  • OpenAI also said its AI coding and work product reached 20 million weekly active users, strengthening its case as it faces pressure to justify an $852 billion valuation.
  • The company confidentially filed with the SEC in June after raising $122 billion in March, while Friar warned employees that rival Anthropic could go public as early as September.
  • Anthropic's own growth sets the competitive backdrop: it told investors its annualized revenue run rate reached $65 billion and preliminary second-quarter revenue hit $11.5 billion.

Insights

If rival Anthropic beats OpenAI to the stock market this September, will eager investors drain the capital pool before the AI giant lists?
With an $852 billion valuation, is OpenAI's planned IPO a triumphant victory lap or a desperate scramble for massive compute funding?
How will Wall Street react to a tech behemoth where the CEO holds no equity and a nonprofit board pulls the strings?