Is OpenAI publicly traded?

OpenAI is a private company; its shares do not trade on a public exchange.

When was OpenAI founded and where is it based?

OpenAI was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

What products does OpenAI make?

OpenAI's products in the TECHi Atlas: ChatGPT.

Foundation Model Lab

OpenAI

OpenAI sells ChatGPT subscriptions and GPT-5 model APIs, with an S-1 on file and an IPO pushed rather than priced low.

OpenAI sells ChatGPT across consumer, Team, and Enterprise tiers plus API access to the GPT-5 model line, with the GPT-5.6 family (Sol, Terra, Luna) as the current default lineup. The ChatGPT app passed 1 billion monthly active users, and revenue runs near $25 billion annualized. The structural fact: a $122 billion round — anchored by Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank — closed at an $852 billion valuation, a confidential S-1 is filed, and the listing has reportedly been delayed rather than accept a below-target price.

Products by OpenAI

ChatGPT

A general-purpose AI assistant for writing, research, coding, analysis, and everyday work.

Strategic Product Influence — Editorial 94/100

AI AssistantOpenAI

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OpenAI people

Full list

Sam Altman@sama

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Why it matters

ChatGPT made OpenAI the default consumer AI brand, but the economics tell a harsher story: roughly $23 of revenue per monthly user against Anthropic's reported $192. Scale won the audience; it hasn't yet won the business. The IPO delay is best read as OpenAI buying time to close that gap before public markets price it.

Core moat

Habit is the moat: ChatGPT is the verb people reach for, and a billion monthly users generate a product-feedback loop no rival lab can match. The developer platform compounds it — swapping a model API is easy, but rebuilding an application's behavior around a different model family isn't.

Risks

Anthropic overtook OpenAI on annualized revenue while spending far less on consumer scale, which raises the question of whether a billion free users are an asset or a compute liability. A delayed IPO also means the $122 billion round has to carry unprecedented burn for longer.

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Who runs OpenAI

Sam AltmanCEO, OpenAI

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Frequently asked about OpenAI

What does OpenAI do?: OpenAI sells ChatGPT subscriptions and GPT-5 model APIs, with an S-1 on file and an IPO pushed rather than priced low.
Is OpenAI publicly traded?: OpenAI is a private company; its shares do not trade on a public exchange.
When was OpenAI founded and where is it based?: OpenAI was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
What products does OpenAI make?: OpenAI's products in the TECHi Atlas: ChatGPT.
Who leads OpenAI?: Sam Altman (CEO, OpenAI).
What is OpenAI's competitive advantage?: Habit is the moat: ChatGPT is the verb people reach for, and a billion monthly users generate a product-feedback loop no rival lab can match. The developer platform compounds it — swapping a model API is easy, but rebuilding an application's behavior around a different model family isn't.