OpenAI raises $8.3 billion at a $300 billion valuation
OpenAI, the powerhouse behind ChatGPT, has raised a staggering $8.3 billion in a funding round that pushes its valuation to an eye-popping $300 billion, according to The New York Times. This marks a significant milestone in the company’s broader goal to raise $40 billion this year and reflects surging investor appetite for AI’s market leaders.
The round, led by Dragoneer Investment Group with a hefty $2.8 billion investment, was completed months ahead of OpenAI’s planned timeline. In March, the company had initially raised $2.5 billion as part of a SoftBank-led effort and had planned to raise an additional $7.5 billion by year’s end. However, due to overwhelming interest, OpenAI hit that target early, positioning itself well ahead of schedule.
This oversubscribed round drew participation from a wide array of institutional investors, including heavyweights such as Blackstone, TPG, and T. Rowe Price. Other participants included well-known VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, and Fidelity, among others. While the influx of fresh capital signals strong investor confidence, some early backers reportedly expressed frustration over receiving smaller allocations as OpenAI made room for new strategic partners.
The momentum behind OpenAI’s fundraising is underpinned by impressive business performance. The company reportedly surpassed $12 billion in annualized revenue, with some sources suggesting that figure is already closer to $13 billion. ChatGPT, OpenAI’s flagship product, now boasts more than 700 million weekly active users. These metrics position OpenAI not just as a research and development leader but as a rapidly scaling commercial enterprise.
Looking ahead, OpenAI is on track to reach $20 billion in revenue by year’s end. Conversations with Microsoft and policy tailwinds such as the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan are also bolstering the company’s trajectory as it transitions further into for-profit territory.
As OpenAI races toward its $40 billion goal, its latest fundraising success marks a defining moment—not just for the company, but for the broader AI ecosystem. The rush by investors to get in early highlights the growing belief that generative AI will be a defining industry of the next decade.
