Finance

OpenAI Employees could participate in $6 Billion Liquidity Event at $500 Billion Valuation

uristocrat

Aug 17, 2025 — 1 min read

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Key Takeaways

Current and former OpenAI employees are negotiating to sell approximately $6 billion in shares to SoftBank, Thrive Capital, and Dragoneer Investment Group at a $500 billion valuation
The transaction represents a significant jump from OpenAI's current $300 billion valuation established earlier this year
Only employees with at least two years of service are eligible to participate in the secondary sale
OpenAI has doubled its revenue in the first seven months of 2025, reaching a $12 billion annualized run rate and is projected to hit $20 billion by year-end
The deal reflects the intense competition for AI talent, with Meta reportedly offering $100 million signing bonuses to lure top OpenAI researchers

The backdrop of this deal is fierce competition for AI expertise, with Meta's Mark Zuckerberg personally recruiting top talent and offering compensation packages that can exceed $100 million in the first year alone. Despite Meta offering over $2 million annual packages for AI talent, the company continues losing staff to OpenAI and Anthropic, highlighting how factors beyond compensation—including mission alignment, company culture, and equity upside—influence career decisions in this elite talent pool.

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African Union Endorses Historic Campaign to Fix 500-Year-Old Map Distortion

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Gemini Exchange Moves Forward with Public Offering as Crypto Market Gains Mainstream Acceptance

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Key Takeaways

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Ghana Provides $1 Million Payment to Keep Students at University of Memphis

African Union Endorses Historic Campaign to Fix 500-Year-Old Map Distortion

ESPN Shelves Spike Lee's Colin Kaepernick Documentary

Gemini Exchange Moves Forward with Public Offering as Crypto Market Gains Mainstream Acceptance