according to the latest cnbc report, openai has officially launched its ipo process and is expected to file a confidential ipo application with the u.s. securities and exchange commission (sec) as early as this friday, marking the official start of the countdown to the global ai leader’s public listing. ceo sam altman revealed that the company aims to complete its listing by september 2026, striving to become the world’s first publicly traded ai giant centered on agi technology, with a valuation exceeding $850 billion.
goldman sachs and morgan stanley have confirmed their roles as joint bookrunners for this ipo, working together to advance critical steps such as due diligence, financial compliance reviews, and regulatory communications. this partnership underscores openai’s professionalism and seriousness in pursuing a capital‑raising path—moving beyond the “unicorn” narrative to systematically establish governance frameworks, internal control systems, and information disclosure mechanisms aligned with public‑company standards.
the long‑standing legal dispute between musk and openai recently concluded, with the court dismissing his core claims and thereby removing potential governance conflicts and operational uncertainties. with these legal risks now resolved, preparations for the ipo have accelerated significantly: cfo sara flounders previously emphasized, “we must align fully with public‑company standards in terms of decision‑making transparency, board operations, and brand credibility,” indirectly confirming that the company has already completed multiple rounds of upgrades to compliance, esg framework development, and investor‑relations systems.
if the offering proceeds smoothly, this ipo could set a new fundraising record in the tech sector and, for the first time, provide the global capital markets with a tradable asset representing “general artificial intelligence.” market attention has shifted from “whether it can go public” to “how it will be priced”—and whether the $850 billion private‑equity valuation can withstand scrutiny in the public market will serve as a watershed moment, defining the next phase of development for the ai industry.
