OpenAI's revenue is reportedly near $50 billion, not the $70 billion first reported
On 8 October 2026, the Financial Times reported that OpenAI told investors its annualized revenue is approaching $50 billion, not the nearly $70 billion reported a week earlier. TechCrunch and Quartz say the higher number came from investors comparing OpenAI with Anthropic, which counts cloud-partner sales. Shares of Nvidia, Oracle and CoreWeave fell.
The short version
- 01The Financial Times reports OpenAI's annualized revenue is approaching $50 billion.
- 02Earlier reports had put it near $70 billion.
- 03The gap comes from how investors compared OpenAI with Anthropic, according to the reports.
- 04This story is Reported: it comes from media, not from an OpenAI announcement.
At a glance
| Reported figure | Approaching $50 billion annualized |
|---|---|
| Earlier figure | Nearly $70 billion, reported about a week before |
| First reported by | Financial Times, 8 October 2026 |
| Cause of gap | Different ways of counting, per TechCrunch and Quartz |
| Market reaction | Nvidia, Oracle and CoreWeave shares fell on Thursday |
| IPO | Pushed to early 2027, per TechCrunch |
| Status | Reported |
What did OpenAI tell investors about its revenue?
The Financial Times reports that OpenAI told investors its annualized revenue is "approaching $50 billion". TechCrunch says the AI lab is said to have told investors the real number is some $20 billion lower than the figure reported a little over a week earlier.
TechCrunch said it had asked OpenAI for comment. We did not find an OpenAI statement, so this story is labelled Reported.
Why was the earlier figure nearly $70 billion?
According to the Financial Times, as reported by TechCrunch, the higher number came from investors' own attempts to compare OpenAI directly with Anthropic's annualized revenue.
TechCrunch notes that the two companies calculate it differently: Anthropic counts sales made by its cloud partners, and OpenAI does not. Quartz, citing CNBC, says the gap does not reflect a loss of sales.
What does annualized revenue mean?
Annualized revenue, or run rate, takes a recent period's sales and multiplies them up to a full year. It is a projection, not money already earned over twelve months.
How did markets react?
Quartz reports that shares of Nvidia, Oracle and CoreWeave fell on Thursday after the disclosure. The Nasdaq was down 1.4% in afternoon trading, with rising oil prices and Treasury yields also weighing on stocks.
What is OpenAI's funding and IPO position?
TechCrunch says OpenAI raised $122 billion in a March funding round and that its IPO, once rumoured for this year, has been pushed to early 2027. Quartz, citing CNBC, says OpenAI is seeking about $30 billion in a new round, with no term sheet finalized.
Why does it matter?
OpenAI is spending very large sums on chips and data centres, so investors watch its sales closely. A $20 billion difference in the headline number moved stocks, even though the reports say it comes from counting methods.
What's next?
Watch for an OpenAI statement, and for how its funding talks and IPO plans respond to the numbers.
Questions people ask
What is OpenAI's annualized revenue?
The Financial Times reports OpenAI told investors it is approaching $50 billion. OpenAI has not published a figure that we found.
Did OpenAI's sales fall?
Quartz, citing CNBC, says the difference does not reflect a loss of sales. It comes from how the earlier number was calculated.
Why did stocks fall?
Quartz reports shares of Nvidia, Oracle and CoreWeave fell on Thursday after the figure came out.
Is this confirmed by OpenAI?
No. It is reported by the Financial Times and other outlets, so we label it Reported.
Sources
- PrimaryTechCrunch, which read the Financial Times report (the FT story is paywalled and OpenAI has not published the figure): OpenAI's revenue is reportedly $20 billion less than previously projected (8 Oct 2026)
- CoverageQuartz: OpenAI says its annualized revenue is actually $50 billion, not $68 billion
Why "Reported"? We label a story "Reported" when only the media have it so far. Spotted an error? Email hello@openloopnews.com and we will correct it.
