OpenAI Tells Investors Annualized Revenue Near $50 Billion

· Tech · United States

OpenAI recently told investors that its annualized revenue was approaching $50 billion at the end of September, according to a person with knowledge of the communications. That figure is roughly $20 billion lower than the revenue numbers disclosed in other recent reports, including those published by The Information itself. The discrepancy matters because OpenAI's valuation and its enormous spending commitments on chips, data centers and talent are underpinned by expectations of rapid revenue growth, and investors have been tracking its top line closely as the AI boom's most important benchmark. The company did not publicly confirm the figure, and the gap between the two reported numbers suggests that estimates circulating in the market may have run ahead of what the company itself is telling its backers.

Why it matters:OpenAI's revenue trajectory is the single most watched number in the AI industry, and a gap between market estimates and what the company tells investors could reshape how capital is priced across AI startups and their suppliers.

Key points

  • OpenAI said annualized revenue was approaching $50 billion at the end of September.
  • That is around $20 billion below figures disclosed in other recent reports.
  • The number is a key benchmark for AI industry valuations and spending plans.

Sources (original reporting)

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