The leading AI company OpenAI is opening its stock to individual investors. According to Axios, OpenAI announced that its stock will soon be included in multiple exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offered by ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood. This means ordinary investors can indirectly hold shares in the ChatGPT maker through these public market tools without waiting for an initial public offering. OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar stated this move aims to fulfill its mission of "building AGI for the benefit of humanity" and explore ways to broaden investment access.
As OpenAI opens investment channels to individuals, it has also completed a major funding round. Beyond Amazon's conditional $35 billion investment pledge—which requires OpenAI to complete an IPO by end of 2028—the company recently onboarded new institutional investors to cover the remaining $7 billion in this round. This shows OpenAI continues to attract massive capital before going public, fueling its ambitious AGI research and development goals.
