According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is preparing to file a confidential initial public offering (IPO) with U.S. securities regulators within the next few weeks. The AI company, led by Sam Altman, has hired investment banks including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to help draft the preliminary prospectus, with a submission possible as early as this Friday. Reports indicate OpenAI is targeting a public listing as soon as September 2026, with its latest valuation reaching $852 billion. In earlier discussions, the company's IPO valuation goal was as high as $1 trillion, and it plans to raise at least $60 billion in capital.
The IPO preparations come just after OpenAI resolved a major legal challenge. On Monday, the company successfully defended against a survival lawsuit filed by Elon Musk, whose own company, SpaceX, is also expected to file for an IPO on the same day — setting the stage for a direct confrontation between two tech giants in the capital markets. OpenAI has not commented on the IPO plans, and Reuters was unable to independently verify the information, but multiple sources confirm that the company has internally set a timeline for a second-half 2026 listing.
