OpenAI reportedly finalizing $100B deal at more than $850B valuation

Read the full articleOpenAI reportedly finalizing $100B deal at more than $850B valuation on TechCrunch

What Happened

OpenAI is reportedly getting close to closing a $100 billion deal, with backers including Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank, and Microsoft. The deal would value the ChatGPT-maker at $850 billion.

Our Take

OpenAI's raising $100B at $850B valuation. That number's absurd (they did ~$3B revenue in 2024), but the money's real—Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank piling in.

Honestly? This isn't about OpenAI's genius. It's the compute arms race. Everyone wants to be *next to* the frontier. Nvidia gets richer, OpenAI gets cash to burn on chips, and in 18 months we'll know if scaling actually hits the wall or keeps going. Nobody's betting on the product. They're betting on the horsepower.

For agencies? Neutral news. Doesn't change what we build.

What To Do

Watch Nvidia's earnings calls instead—that's where the real story is.

Builder's Brief

Who

teams with deep OpenAI API dependency in production

What changes

deal closing locks in major cloud/infra partners, signaling pricing and availability stability — or lock-in risk depending on your read

When

weeks

Watch for

whether deal terms include API pricing commitments or capacity guarantees for enterprise customers

What Skeptics Say

$850B implies a revenue multiple that requires OpenAI to dominate enterprise software at a scale no AI company has demonstrated; every round at higher valuation increases the IPO or acquisition pressure that could destabilize product strategy.

Cited By

TechCrunch OpenAI reportedly finalizing $100B deal at more than $850B valuation

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