ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s revenue run rate tops US$40 billion ahead of IPO

[SAN FRANCISCO] OpenAI is on track to generate annualised revenue of more than US$40 billion based on its current performance, according to people familiar with the matter.

This roughly doubles its run rate from the end of 2025 – where the company was said to have logged more than US$20 billion in annualised revenue – and bolsters its plans for a Wall Street debut.

The ChatGPT maker’s revenue has accelerated in recent months, driven in part by the growth of its artificial intelligence coding software, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information is not public.

The gains also reflect momentum from subscription sales and its nascent advertising business. Its core consumer business continues to grow, too. 

OpenAI declined to comment. 

OpenAI is locked in a fierce battle with longtime rival, Claude maker Anthropic, to sign up more business customers.

Both firms have filed confidential paperwork to go public, with Anthropic expected to initial public offering as soon as this fall, ahead of OpenAI. 

Once viewed as the underdog, Anthropic has gained traction with AI tools that streamline complex tasks, including coding.

Anthropic said in May that its run-rate revenue had crossed US$47 billion, though the two firms may not measure it the same way. A company’s run rate projects full-year revenue from a shorter period.

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On Thursday (Aug 13), OpenAI named its second new chief revenue officer in less than a year, tapping a cybersecurity executive to help drive sales growth. 

As part of an internal announcement for the hire, OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman said the company’s annual revenue run rate increased more than 20 per cent month-over-month in July.

OpenAI has seen a sharp uptick in demand for its AI agents recent weeks, including Codex for coding and ChatGPT Work for a wider mix of tasks.

The company has also cut prices on certain models to better compete for cost-conscious customers against Anthropic and a long list of Chinese rivals. BLOOMBERG