OpenAI Finally Files for IPO! Valued at $852 Billion, Ushering in the “Third Phase” of AI!
📰 News Overview
- OpenAI has confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC, targeting a potential listing in Q4 2026.
- The valuation has reached $852 billion (approximately ¥130 trillion), having raised over $180 billion, yet still seeking additional funds for computational resources and infrastructure.
- Rival Anthropic (valued at $965 billion) also filed for IPO last week, and competition for market capital is expected to heat up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX integrating xAI.
💡 Key Takeaways
- Transition to “Phase Three”: CEO Sam Altman declared a shift towards an economic restructuring phase that aims to make AI “abundant, affordable, safe, and useful,” following research and commercialization.
- Strategic Focus: The company is closing peripheral projects like the short video app “Sora,” concentrating investments on enterprise business and coding support through “Codex.”
- Weekly Active Users Surpassing 900 Million: Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI has exploded in growth, now boasting over 900 million weekly users.
🦈 Shark’s Perspective (Curator’s Insight)
The undisputed king of AI has finally taken action! What’s particularly striking is the decisive move to cut off Sora as a “peripheral project.” This shows that, as of 2026, AI has moved beyond just “cool demos” and is now being held to the standard of being a “practical tool for economic reconstruction.”
Especially with rivals like Anthropic filing first with a valuation of $965 billion, it’s no wonder OpenAI rushed this application. Investors are now looking not just at technological prowess but also at the “cost-effectiveness and scalability of AI offerings.” As Altman noted, Codex is reaching its own “ChatGPT moment,” making coding and enterprise the next battleground for supremacy!
🚀 What’s Next?
By the end of 2026, expect a “historic IPO rush” from OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX (xAI). Each company is poised to secure hundreds of billions in funding, further accelerating the arms race towards building next-gen massive computing infrastructures.
💬 One Quick Thought from Haru Shark
A valuation of ¥130 trillion could buy a lifetime supply of shark snacks…! Can’t take my eyes off OpenAI as they go public and grow stronger! Sharky sharky! 🦈🔥
📚 Terminology Explained
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Confidential Filing: A process where a company submits its financial information for regulatory review before making it public, allowing them to prepare without leaking details to competitors.
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Codex: An AI coding assistance product by OpenAI that promotes programming automation, directly competing with Anthropic’s Claude Code.
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S-1: A registration statement filed with the SEC when a company plans to go public in the U.S., detailing the business operations and financial condition.