In Brief Posted: 12:52 PM PDT · September 29, 2026 Image Credits: Kyle

In Brief Posted: 12:52 PM PDT · September 29, 2026 Image Credits: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg / Getty Images Marina Temkin OpenAI reportedly in talks to raise $30B round at $1.4T valuation OpenAI is in talks with investors to raise at least $30 billion in a pre-IPO funding round at a valuation of roughly $1.4 trillion, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Investors are eager to pour more funds into the ChatGPT maker ahead of its anticipated public market debut next year. While Anthropic momentarily outpaced OpenAI at the start of the year, recent strategic refocus on key areas like coding has fueled a 70% jump in run-rate revenue since July, reaching $40 billion in August, according to the report. The company previously raised $122 billion in March at an $852 billion valuation. That funding round was supposed to be its last private raise before an IPO, which had been, until recently, expected to take place this year. However, CEO Sam Altman has now ruled out a public debut in 2026 to prioritize AI safety first. “I think it is unacceptable to be taking like a 10% chance of killing everybody by the end of the decade,” he recently told Fortune, in response to warnings from safety researchers about AI posing an existential risk to humanity. The new fundraising, if it transpires, will serve as a bridge round to the IPO, according to Bloomberg. OpenAI didn’t respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. Topics AI , In Brief , IPO , OpenAI October 13 – 15 San Francisco Get 50% off a second pass The Disrupt experience is meant to be shared. Get your pass and bring a colleague, partner, or peer at 50% off. Cover more ground by making connections, building momentum, and discovering what’s next in the startup ecosystem. BOOK NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related AI OpenAI takes on Microsoft with the launch of what feels a whole lot like ChatGPT’s own office suite Lucas Ropek 17 hours ago AI OpenAI launches Dots, its bubbly agentic avatar Lucas Ropek 18 hours ago AI Nvidia launches new platform for reining in rogue AI agents Kirsten Korosec 2 days ago Latest in AI AI America.gov gets really weird when you ask it about Minecraft, but it’s not a glitch Amanda Silberling 11 hours ago In Brief The internet is convinced Elon Musk’s xAI trolled OpenAI’s ‘Dots’ launch Julie Bort 13 hours ago AI OpenAI’s latest features take direct aim at the app store model Sarah Perez 15 hours ago