OpenAI recently informed investors that its actual annualized revenue sits near $50 billion. This revelation places the artificial intelligence laboratory roughly $20 billion below earlier revenue projections circulated in public reports.
Previous news outlets cited the higher $70 billion figure based on data shared with OpenAI backers. The Financial Times noted that this inflated figure stemmed from efforts by OpenAI investors to establish a direct comparison against Anthropic annualised revenues.
OpenAI and Anthropic calculate differently
Both artificial intelligence companies utilize distinct methods to compute their annualized revenue figures. Anthropic includes sales generated through its various cloud partners in its calculations. OpenAI excludes cloud partner sales from its own totals.
Revenue tracking remains a sensitive topic for OpenAI as the organization works to justify massive capital investments. The artificial intelligence titan secured $122 billion during a single funding round held in March.
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Leaked financial documents from earlier in 2025 indicated that OpenAI brought in approximately $13 billion. Expenditures during that same period significantly outpaced those earnings.
Financial pressures and revenue realities have altered corporate timelines for the company. An initial public offering previously rumored for 2026 has been delayed until early 2027.
