OpenAI Could Now Be the World’s Most Valuable Startup, Surpassing SpaceX and ByteDance

OpenAI has potentially become the world’s most valuable startup, outpacing Elon Musk’s SpaceX and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, following a secondary stock sale aimed at retaining employees at the ChatGPT maker.

Current and former OpenAI employees sold $6.6 billion in shares to a group of investors, pushing the privately held artificial intelligence company’s valuation to $500 billion, according to a source familiar with the deal who was not authorized to speak publicly.

### Investors and Valuation

The investors purchasing the shares included Thrive Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, T. Rowe Price, Japanese tech giant SoftBank, and the United Arab Emirates’ MGX, the source revealed on Thursday. This valuation reflects high expectations for the future of AI technology and continues OpenAI’s remarkable trajectory from its beginnings as a nonprofit research lab in 2015.

### Profitability and Market Concerns

However, with the San Francisco-based company not yet turning a profit, concerns about an AI bubble may intensify. Skeptics worry that if the generative AI products from OpenAI and its competitors fail to meet investor expectations, the billions poured into research and development could be at risk.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has recently sought to ease such concerns. During a tour last week of a massive data center complex being built in Abilene, Texas, to run the company’s AI systems, Altman said:

> “Between the ten years we’ve already been operating and the many decades ahead of us, there will be booms and busts. People will overinvest and lose money, and underinvest and lose a lot of revenue.”

He added, “We’ll make some dumb capital allocations and see short-term ups and downs, but over the arc that we have to plan over, we are confident that this technology will drive a new wave of unprecedented economic growth, along with scientific breakthroughs, improvements to quality of life, and new ways to express creativity.”

### New Business Ventures

Just this week, OpenAI launched two new business ventures: a partnership with Etsy and Shopify to enable online shopping through ChatGPT and a social media app called Sora for generating and sharing AI videos.

### Competition and Compensation Challenges

The stock sale marks a first for OpenAI, which has struggled to offer investors and staff the same perks and compensation as other companies. In particular, Facebook parent Meta Platforms has been aggressively hiring top AI engineers and, in June, made a $14.3 billion investment in AI company Scale, which recruited its CEO Alexandr Wang.

### Corporate Structure and Regulatory Scrutiny

OpenAI’s for-profit subsidiary, currently valued at $500 billion, is technically controlled by the board of OpenAI’s nonprofit, with both entities still bound to pursue the nonprofit’s charitable purpose.

The company’s partnerships with major corporations and plans to alter its corporate structure have attracted scrutiny from regulators, including the attorneys general of California and Delaware, who oversee charities operating or incorporated in their states.

### Recent Partnerships and Strategic Moves

In recent weeks, OpenAI has made significant deals with Oracle and SoftBank for a data center venture called Stargate, as well as with chipmaker Nvidia, which supplies the specialized AI chips necessary for these data centers.

At the same time, OpenAI has reduced its reliance on longtime backer Microsoft. In September, the company announced it had reached a tentative agreement with Microsoft regarding the future stake of its nonprofit in its for-profit corporation, though few details were shared.

### Grants to Support AI Understanding and Economic Opportunity

OpenAI also opened applications for nonprofits to apply for $50 million in funding, an initiative launched following recommendations from an advisory board. The grants aim to support projects that increase public understanding of AI, promote the design of AI based on community needs, and boost economic opportunity.

The deadline to apply for these grants closes on October 8.

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OpenAI’s rapid growth and ambitious plans highlight the company’s potential to reshape the AI industry and broader economy, even as questions about profitability and market sustainability remain.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/openai-now-worth-500-billion-possibly-making-it-the-worlds-most-valuable-startup-1907655