OpenAI Reportedly Seeks $30 Billion at Lower $1.25 Trillion Valuation Amid Lukewarm Investor Sentiment: 'This…

OpenAI is reportedly trying to raise about $30 billion in new funding. The company now wants to be valued at around $1.25 trillion, which is lower than its earlier goal.

This new value is almost 50% higher than OpenAI's current value of $852 billion. But it is still below the $1.4 trillion value that OpenAI previously discussed with possible investors, according to a report published by The Financial Times on Friday.

OpenAI lowered its target at a time when technology stocks are falling in price. Investors across the market are questioning whether the money spent on AI equipment and systems will bring enough profit. They are also worried about the cost of borrowing money to pay for these projects.

Coatue and investment funds from the United Arab Emirates have talked about becoming the main investors in this funding round. OpenAI has asked investors to make their decisions by October 30. If not enough investors are interested, the company could raise less than $30 billion, according to the report.

Morgan Stanley and Dragoneer, a technology investment company based in San Francisco, offered the investment opportunity to wealthy private clients using the higher company value. According to the report, investors showed less interest than they had during OpenAI's earlier fundraising efforts.

Sources told the Financial Times that previous OpenAI fundraising rounds had caused a lot of excitement among investors. This time, they said, the response has been much quieter and less enthusiastic.

Some investors also told the newspaper that they want to wait until they see the expected price of Anthropic's initial public offering (IPO) later this year before deciding whether to invest in OpenAI, which competes with Anthropic. An IPO is when a company first offers its shares for sale to the public.

OpenAI wants to raise this money to help support the company until it can possibly sell shares to the public in the first half of 2027. However, no date has been set for that possible IPO, the report said.

OpenAI did not immediately reply when Benzinga asked the company for a comment.

OpenAI Says It Will Not Hold an IPO in 2026

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had already said the company would not hold an IPO in 2026. He explained that there were still unanswered questions about AI safety and alignment, which means making sure AI systems behave in ways that match human goals and intentions. Altman said that going public now would not be a wise decision and that the company did not feel any pressure to do so.

Last month, reports said OpenAI was trying to raise nearly $30 billion while valuing the company at about $1.4 trillion. At the same time, OpenAI was delaying its IPO plans. The company planned to use this funding to support itself until it could raise more money later. Strong interest from investors was reported as one reason for the fundraising plan.

Meanwhile, OpenAI's annualized revenue went above $40 billion. This means that if the company continued earning money at the same pace, it would bring in more than $40 billion over a full year. That figure was almost twice as high as it was at the end of 2025. OpenAI President Greg Brockman said the company's yearly revenue pace grew by more than 20% in July alone.

Disclaimer: This article was partly created with the help of AI tools. Benzinga editors checked it and published it.

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