OpenAI Reports $50 Billion Annualized Revenue Amid Data Discrepancy

OpenAI informed investors that its annualized revenue approached $50 billion at the end of September. This figure is significantly lower than the $70 billion previously reported by the Financial Times and other news outlets.

OpenAI attributed the discrepancy to a difference in accounting methods. While some investors attempted to make the company's figures comparable to those of Anthropic by grossing up sales to include cloud-channel partners, OpenAI does not follow this practice. The revised data also places July's annualized revenue near $30 billion, down from previous estimates of $40 billion, though the company continues to show rapid growth over the summer.

Public markets reacted sharply to the news. Technology shares declined, with the Nasdaq 100 dropping 1.7%. AI-linked companies including Nvidia, Oracle, and Micron experienced intraday losses, demonstrating the sensitivity of investors to the growth trajectories of private artificial intelligence firms.