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OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO

The AI company is discussing a new funding round that could significantly increase its market value.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
FILE PHOTO: The OpenAI logo in this illustration taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

What this story says

  • OpenAI is in early-stage discussions with investors about a new funding round.
  • This potential round could value the company at around $1.2 trillion before it goes public.
  • The company previously closed a funding round in March at an $852 billion valuation.
  • CEO Sam Altman stated the company would not go public in 2026, citing AI safety concerns.

Who covered it

Left 10%(3)Centre 45%(13)Right 45%(13)

Percentages are shares of the 29 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 44 of the 73 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

41/100

73 sources · methodology

Missing from the left

Only 3 of the 29 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

OpenAI has begun preliminary talks with investors regarding a new capital raise. These discussions aim to achieve a valuation of approximately $1.2 trillion for the artificial intelligence company before it proceeds with an initial public offering. The conversations are in their early stages, and the valuation figure is subject to change. OpenAI declined to comment on the reports.

The company previously secured $122 billion in committed capital during a funding round in March, which valued OpenAI at $852 billion. Separately, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman indicated on a Saturday that the company does not plan to go public in 2026, citing concerns over artificial intelligence safety.

Valuation figures

Reports differ on the potential valuation for OpenAI's new funding round. Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Bloomberg state the valuation could reach about $1.2 trillion. Forbes reports the valuation could be up to $1.5 trillion, while The Straits Times also suggests over $1.5 trillion. Some reports, such as from Handelsblatt and Reformatorisch Dagblad, mention $1.2 trillion, with the latter specifying this as 1,200 billion dollars.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the $122 billion in committed capital OpenAI secured in March. None of the right-rated digests mention the $122 billion in committed capital OpenAI secured in March.

Coverage settled. We checked this 8 times and stopped on 21 Sept 2026, 17:30. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

3 rated outlets

  • The left-rated report from Gizmodo mentioned the ongoing valuation competition between OpenAI and Anthropic. It noted that a rumoured funding round could make OpenAI more valuable than Anthropic again.

Centre

13 rated outlets

  • All twelve centre‑rated outlets reported that OpenAI is holding early talks with large investors about a new funding round that could lift its valuation to roughly $1.2 trillion ahead of an initial public offering. The reports note that the discussions are at an early stage, were prompted by investors, and that the figure may change. They also reference the March funding round that raised $122 billion and valued the company at $852 billion.
  • Channel News Asia’s article adds that CEO Sam Altman said the company will not list in 2026 because of safety concerns and that OpenAI and rival Anthropic are urging stronger AI regulation. It also notes Anthropic’s plan to begin an IPO filing in mid‑October at the earliest. IBTimes mentions the round could let employees sell stock, and Live Mint records the IPO timeline being pushed to 2027.
  • Among the centre digests, Forbes did not provide a valuation figure, mentioning only that the funding push follows Altman’s IPO comment. The Express Tribune digest stops after noting a valuation above $1.2 trillion and does not include the investor‑initiated detail. None of the digests contain direct quotations from OpenAI representatives.

Right

13 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports from Fortune, BNR Nieuwsradio, Handelsblatt, Reformatorisch Dagblad, Seeking Alpha, The Hindu Business Line, The Straits Times, CNBC-TV18, Moneycontrol, Business Times, and 연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency highlighted OpenAI's consideration of a new funding round. Most specified a valuation of approximately $1.2 trillion, though The Straits Times and Forbes reported over $1.5 trillion. Fortune's report framed the IPO as a 'no-go' in favour of the funding round. Moneycontrol noted CEO Sam Altman's earlier statement that the IPO would not happen this year. Business Times mentioned the March funding round that valued the company at $852 billion.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO?
Of the 29 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 10% are rated left, 45% are rated centre, 45% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 73. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 29 rated outlets on this story, 10% are rated left, 45% are rated centre, 45% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO biased?
OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO is one event reported by 73 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered OpenAI in talks for $1.2 trillion valuation before IPO?
73 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is OpenAI discussing with investors?
OpenAI is reportedly in early-stage discussions with investors about a new funding round. This potential round could significantly increase the company's valuation before it goes public.
What is the potential valuation for OpenAI?
Reports suggest that OpenAI could be valued at approximately $1.2 trillion in this new funding round. Some reports indicate a valuation of up to $1.5 trillion.
When might OpenAI go public?
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated that the company will not go public in 2026, citing safety concerns related to artificial intelligence. The timing of a future IPO remains uncertain.
What was OpenAI's previous valuation?
In March, OpenAI closed a funding round that valued the company at $852 billion, with $122 billion in committed capital.

Read it at the source

73 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

3

Centre

13
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Right

13
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Not rated

44
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How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

OpenAI $1.2 trillion valuation talks | MediaBias News