Exclusive-OpenAI’s stunning $150 billion valuation hinges upending corporate structure, sources say

By Krystal Hu and Kenrick Cai

(Reuters) – OpenAI’s new financing round is expected to come in the form of convertible notes, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who said its $150 billion valuation will be contingent on whether the ChatGPT-maker can upend its corporate structure and remove a profit cap for investors.

The details of the conditions of the $6.5 billion funding, which have not been previously reported, shows how far OpenAI, the most valuable AI startup in the world, has come from a research-based non-profit, and the structural changes it’s willing to make to attract ever more investment to fund its expensive pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

The outsized funding round has seen strong investor demand and could be finalized in the next two weeks, given the rapid growth of OpenAI’s revenue, sources added.

Existing investors such as Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, as well Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are expected to participate. New investors including Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) also plan to invest. Sequoia Capital is also in talks to come back as a returning investor.

If the restructuring is unsuccessful, OpenAI would need to renegotiate its valuation with investors at which their shares will be converted at, likely at a lower number, sources told Reuters, who requested anonymity to discuss private matters. 

OpenAI declined to comment.