OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise at least $30 billion at a valuation of roughly $1.4 trillion, with the round expected to be its last before a delayed public debut in 2027. But Sam Altman’s latest comments leave that timetable conditional. The CEO says OpenAI needs to make more confident claims about model safety before it goes public.
TechCrunch’s September 29 report, citing Bloomberg, describes the proposed fundraising as a bridge to an IPO. OpenAI did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. The amount and valuation remain reported terms of talks.
Another round after the expected final round
According to TechCrunch, OpenAI raised $122 billion in March at an $852 billion valuation. That round had also been expected to be its last private raise before an IPO, then anticipated for 2026. The reported new round would extend its private fundraising after that timetable slipped.
The report also puts OpenAI’s annualized revenue run rate at $40 billion in August, up 70% since July, following a renewed focus on areas such as coding. A run rate projects revenue at the current pace. It differs from revenue earned over a full year.
Altman’s condition has no firm date
The Verge reports that Altman discussed the IPO during a September 29 Q&A after his DevDay keynote. He said OpenAI must push safety and alignment ahead of capabilities as models become more powerful.
Altman also said a listing would add pressure from Wall Street while OpenAI works out the safety requirements for those models. He described the need for “confident safety claims” and gave no firm IPO timeline. He still favors a public company eventually and said waiting too long would be bad for the world.
