OpenAI Employees Sell $6.6 Billion in Shares, Averaging $11 Million Each

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is one of the world’s most valuable privately held artificial intelligence companies. An employee tender offer gives staff a way to sell part of their equity before a public listing, supporting liquidity and talent retention. OpenAI submitted a confidential S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 8, 2026, but said it had not decided when to list, leaving its IPO timetable open.

Bloomberg reported on Aug. 10 that OpenAI completed an employee share buyback worth about $7 billion at an $852 billion valuation, unchanged from the price set by its $122 billion funding round completed in March 2026. Unlike secondary transactions funded by outside investors, OpenAI used its own capital to purchase the shares, according to the report. The deal provides liquidity before any listing while suggesting the company may not need to pursue an IPO in the near term.