OpenAI valuation crosses $80 billion following latest deal, Sora launch

OpenAI’s valuation has surged to above $80 billion after closing its latest deal, the New York Times reported Feb. 17.

The company is reportedly undertaking a tender offer orchestrated by Thrive Capital to raise more funds while providing employees with a tangible benefit.

Tender offer strategy

Under the deal, OpenAI employees will be permitted to sell their shares, with the proceeds added to the company’s coffers. This approach differs from conventional capital-raising methods typically employed by firms for operational expansion.

However, the tender offer strategy is not new to OpenAI. A similar approach in 2023 had venture capital giants such as Thrive Capital, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and K2 Global participating in a tender offer that valued the company at approximately $29 billion at the time.

The repeated use of this strategy indicates a deliberate approach by OpenAI to provide liquidity options to its employees while still attracting investment without diluting ownership through conventional funding rounds.

Further diversifying its strategic initiatives, CEO Sam Altman is proactively seeking opportunities to bolster the company’s capabilities, particularly in the semiconductor space.

Altman’s outreach to various stakeholders, including potential investors, semiconductor manufacturers, and energy suppliers, highlights an ambitious plan to support and possibly revolutionize the infrastructure underpinning AI technology development.

By positioning OpenAI as a key customer for future chip manufacturing projects, Altman is eyeing an enhancement of global chip production capacities, which is critical for developing and deploying advanced AI technologies.

Sora

Amid these strategic and organizational developments, OpenAI has continued to innovate, most notably with the announcement of Sora, a text-to-video model.

Sora is capable of creating detailed videos from text prompts, extending narratives in existing videos, and generating scenes from still images.

Although OpenAI acknowledges that Sora is in the early stages of development and requires further refinement, its introduction marks a significant milestone in the field of generative AI.

The announcement caused AI-related digital assets to surge, including Altman’s Worldcoin, which saw a 40% gain following the news. The token has continued to rise in value and was trading at $4.79 as of press time, up another 8% over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the token is up more than 90% on a weekly basis. The token has been consistently rising in value despite controversy related to its biometric data gathering in several countries.

The past year has been tumultuous for OpenAI, marked by a brief period when Altman was removed from his position as CEO by the company’s board.

The decision was met with considerable dissent from the company’s employees, leading to his reinstatement. The episode revealed the strong internal support for Altman’s leadership and highlighted the challenges and conditions within one of the leading firms in the AI industry.