Business · Companies · 2 days ago
OpenAI’s annualized revenue estimated at nearly $50 billion, below earlier figure
OpenAI’s annualized revenue in September was nearly $50 billion, according to financial documents shared with investors.
That is about $20 billion below the nearly $70 billion figure reported by several outlets late last month.
The difference partly reflects how the companies count sales through cloud partners: Anthropic includes them, while OpenAI does not.
Annualized revenue estimates a full year’s sales from a shorter period, so it can change with monthly performance and may not show what a company actually earns over a year.
This makes it harder for investors to compare OpenAI with Anthropic, which are competing for business customers.
The figures matter as both companies pursue possible public listings and investors assess whether their rapid growth can last.
OpenAI is no longer expected to go public this year, while Anthropic may list sooner; OpenAI is also negotiating a private fundraising that could value it at roughly $1.4 trillion.
The Financial Times reported that OpenAI's annualized revenue was close to $50 billion at the end of September, about $20 billion below figures reported by several media outlets late the previous month.
The reports say the gap reflects differences in how revenue is counted, including the treatment of sales through business partners and comparisons with rival Anthropic.
Annualized revenue estimates extrapolate a current sales pace across a year, so they do not measure revenue earned over a full year and can be misleading.
The discrepancy complicates investors' efforts to compare OpenAI and Anthropic and assess whether their rapid growth can support major spending on AI infrastructure.
OpenAI is negotiating a private fundraising that the Financial Times said could value it at roughly $1.4 trillion, while both companies have filed confidential paperwork to go public.
- Who
- OpenAI and rival Anthropic
- What
- A reported gap between OpenAI's annualized revenue and earlier media estimates
- When
- OpenAI's revenue figure was for the end of September 2026
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Different revenue-counting methods complicate comparisons and scrutiny of AI companies' growth and valuations.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
No direct quotes in the coverage so far.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- OpenAI annualized revenue
- Close to $50 billion at the end of September, according to the Financial Times report.
- Earlier reported estimate
- Nearly $70 billion; CNBC reported an earlier figure of $68 billion.
- Potential OpenAI valuation
- Roughly $1.4 trillion in a fresh private fundraising, according to the Financial Times.
- OpenAI quarterly revenue
- $6.7 billion in the second quarter, compared with Anthropic's $11.5 billion, according to Mint.
- Anthropic annualized revenue
- Crossed $65 billion in July, and was reported as set to reach $100 billion by year-end.
Sources
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