San Francisco, April 2, 2026, 06:13 PDT
- OpenAI wrapped up a $122 billion funding round, landing at a valuation of $852 billion, and brought in over $3 billion from individual investors using bank channels. OpenAI
- The company announced its shares are set to join multiple ARK Invest-managed exchange-traded funds, a move that broadens investor access before any public listing. OpenAI
- OpenAI is moving more resources into Codex and enterprise products, Reuters reported, following pressure from Google and Anthropic. Reuters
OpenAI is making its stock available to a broader base before a possible IPO, announcing this week that shares will now be part of several ARK Invest-run ETFs, following the close of a $122 billion funding round that set its valuation at $852 billion. The company behind ChatGPT also disclosed it has, for the first time, collected over $3 billion from individual investors via banks. OpenAI
The timing is key: OpenAI wants to convert its surge in consumer interest into more consistent business sales. The company’s funding statement put enterprise at over 40% of its revenue. Reuters has OpenAI shifting resources to Codex and other corporate-focused products. OpenAI
The timing coincides with Wall Street eyeing a fresh slate of blockbuster tech IPOs. OpenAI and Anthropic are both weighing public offerings before year’s end, according to Reuters. John Kolz, who leads equity capital markets globally at Barclays, called the market’s ability to withstand both geopolitical turmoil and pressure on software shares “quite remarkable.” Reuters
OpenAI named Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank as lead backers in the round, while Microsoft joined in. Compute—the raw processing muscle behind training and running AI models—remains the company’s chief constraint, OpenAI said, adding that sustained access to this firepower will determine its pace of growth. OpenAI
OpenAI’s CFO Sarah Friar described the initiative as an attempt to “broaden access to AI’s economic upside,” referencing remarks she made to Axios, according to Inc. Axios highlighted the move as OpenAI ramps up its enterprise offerings—territory where Anthropic holds the leading spot. Inc.com
That move comes as a response to rivals. According to Reuters, OpenAI has overhauled its product plans twice in just six months, rattled by Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude Code. The company has now steered teams toward Codex and enterprise software, after years spent spreading their efforts across a broader range of projects. Reuters
Fidji Simo, a top executive at OpenAI, said the company must “double down” and “avoid distractions.” OpenAI echoed that sentiment, saying users aren’t looking for “disconnected tools.” The company’s superapp, now in the works, aims to combine ChatGPT, Codex, browsing, and a wider range of agent features within a single platform. Reuters
Still, new funding won’t fix the underlying bottlenecks. Reuters reported that in top data-center regions, power hookups alone might take years, and gas turbines are basically unavailable until 2029. On the deal front, Deutsche Bank’s Saadi Soudavaar expects the next wave of IPOs to make it across the line—if, he said, “market volatility subsides.” Reuters
OpenAI remains large for now. ChatGPT is logging more than 900 million weekly active users, according to the company, alongside 50 million-plus subscribers and $2 billion in monthly revenue. That kind of scale drives investor interest, but it’s still unclear if public markets would come close to valuing the company at $1 trillion. OpenAI
