New to this? Read it in simple words
- OpenAI is raising about $30 billion from investors, two news outlets report.
- The value it asks for is now $1.25 trillion, $150 billion lower than before.
- OpenAI has not confirmed the figures, and the details could still change.
- OpenAI plans to list its shares on the stock market, but has not said when.
- Valuation
- What investors agree a company is worth. It sets the price of the shares they buy.
- Pre-money value
- What a company is worth before the new money from a funding round is added.
- Funding round
- A time when a company sells new shares to investors to raise money.
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is raising new money before a possible stock market listing. On Thursday, October 22, CNBC and Bloomberg reported that the price it asks investors to pay has come down.
What the reports say
OpenAI is raising about $30 billion at a value of $1.25 trillion, according to people familiar with the talks. CNBC says this is a “pre-money” value, which does not include the new money.
Bloomberg reports that the value discussed in the talks dropped by $150 billion, from $1.4 trillion.
The talks are still going on, and the details could change, the people told Bloomberg. OpenAI declined to comment.
From CNBC’s and Bloomberg’s reports of October 22.
Who is investing
Coatue Management, a US investment firm, is in talks to co-lead the round, Bloomberg reports. CNBC says investors from the United Arab Emirates are leading it together with Coatue.
OpenAI told investors it wants signatures by the end of next week, CNBC reports. Bloomberg also says the commitments should be final by then.
Alongside the money, OpenAI is negotiating a deal for more computing power from the UAE, one person told CNBC.
Before a stock market listing
OpenAI raised $122 billion in March, at a value of $852 billion that includes that money, Bloomberg says. CNBC says the new round is meant as a bridge before a possible listing on the stock market.
OpenAI confidentially filed its listing papers with US regulators in June, but has not said when it will list. Its finance chief, Sarah Friar, told staff in August that OpenAI “will be a public company in 2027,” CNBC reports.
Tech stocks fell this week after mixed results from Meta, Tesla and others raised worries about AI spending, Bloomberg reports. Anthropic, OpenAI’s main rival, is expected to list its shares next month.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1Research · October 22, 2026OpenAI nears up to $30 billion funding round at $1.25 trillion valuation led by UAE investors CNBC
- 2Research · October 22, 2026OpenAI shifts valuation to $1.25 trillion as funding talks near final stage Bloomberg (via Business Standard)
- 3Research · October 22, 2026OpenAI working on new $30B raise at $1.25T valuation ahead of IPO TechCrunch
The story rests on unnamed people who spoke to CNBC and Bloomberg, and OpenAI has not confirmed the figures. The two outlets agree on the new value and the size of the round.
OpenAI is raising about $30 billion, a very large round, but at a value $150 billion lower than discussed amid AI-spending worries. How we rate the mood