OpenAI CFO tells employees company will go public in 2027 or sooner

During an all-hands meeting on August 19, 2026, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar announced that the company plans to go public by 2027 or sooner, having confidentially filed its IPO prospectus in June 2026. OpenAI is working to justify its $852 billion valuation amid executive departures, including revenue chief Denise Dresser and Brad Lightcap. Despite leadership turnover and competition from Anthropic, which also filed for an IPO, OpenAI reports strong financial growth, with its annualized revenue run rate topping $40 billion.

OpenAI 2027 IPO timeline

• ▪OpenAI confidentially filed its initial public offering prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2026
• ▪OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told employees on August 19, 2026, that OpenAI will become a public company in 2027 or potentially sooner
• ▪OpenAI raised $122 billion in March 2026, which Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar stated provides OpenAI with financial flexibility ahead of its initial public offering

OpenAI revenue growth metrics

• ▪OpenAI reported to investors that OpenAI generated $6.7 billion in revenue for the second quarter of 2026, representing an 18% increase from the first quarter
• ▪OpenAI's enterprise revenue run rate increased 50% quarter-to-date as of August 19, 2026, and OpenAI's artificial intelligence coding and work product reached 20 million weekly active users
• ▪During an all-hands meeting on August 19, 2026, OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar shared that OpenAI's revenue run rate increased 35% quarter-to-date
• ▪OpenAI's annualized revenue run rate recently surpassed $40 billion as of August 2026

Anthropic competitive positioning

• ▪Anthropic informed investors that Anthropic's annualized revenue run rate reached $65 billion at the end of July 2026, with a preliminary second-quarter revenue of $11.5 billion
• ▪OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar stated on August 19, 2026, that Anthropic might launch its initial public offering in September 2026, ahead of OpenAI
• ▪Anthropic has confidentially filed its initial public offering prospectus with regulators and has held early meetings with potential investors

OpenAI executive departures

• ▪OpenAI revenue chief Denise Dresser departed OpenAI in August 2026 after serving eight months in the role
• ▪Fidji Simo stepped down from her role as OpenAI's product business chief in July 2026 to focus on recovering from a chronic illness
• ▪OpenAI President Greg Brockman stated on August 17, 2026, that OpenAI's recent executive departures are not atypical but receive high scrutiny due to OpenAI's public spotlight
• ▪Longtime OpenAI executive Brad Lightcap ended his eight-year tenure at OpenAI in August 2026

IPO valuation pressure

• ▪OpenAI executives are working to project stability to investors concerned about competition, lower-cost open-weight models, and the volatile stock performance of SpaceX
• ▪OpenAI faces pressure to justify its $852 billion valuation to investors who are seeking a detailed look at OpenAI's financial performance ahead of its initial public offering