OpenAI completes a private sale of equity worth 6.6 billion dollars, with a valuation skyrocketing to 500 billion dollars! A direct confrontation with Musk's xAI.

OpenAI completes employee stock sale, releasing $6.6 billion in liquidity, with a valuation exceeding $500 billion. It is going head-to-head with Elon Musk's xAI in the AI startup space. (Background: Sora 2 makes a strong entrance! OpenAI aims to reclaim the throne of live video models, with its namesake iOS app targeting TikTok) (Context: Musk becomes the first billionaire to surpass $500 billion in net worth! Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI resonate as three engines) According to reports, the well-known ChatGPT operator OpenAI has completed a $6.6 billion sale of private equity to employees, pushing the company's valuation to $500 billion, surpassing Musk's SpaceX in startup valuation, and claiming the title of the world's most valuable startup, although the stablecoin issuer Tether is also at a similar valuation level. Capital bets on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) reach a new high on this day, while OpenAI also faces off against xAI, which is under Elon Musk. OpenAI's valuation surges According to RTE News, sources have revealed that Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer, MGX, and T. Rowe Price have purchased OpenAI stock in the latest transaction, eyeing the company's $4.3 billion revenue in the first half of the year and the market share of ChatGPT. Microsoft's previous investment of $13 billion in cloud and computing power has also been a key factor in the valuation adjustment. Looking back over the past year, OpenAI has risen from $300 billion to $500 billion, a pace that far exceeds most listed tech leaders. The 'profit cap' structure allows the non-profit parent company to maintain mission control while providing clear return limits for investors, making it an attractive mechanism for long-term capital. This second sale brings long-awaited cash to veteran employees, releasing about $6.6 billion in liquidity. OpenAI may plan to invest most of the new funds into model training and inference infrastructure to maintain technological leadership while continuing to lure talent with attractive compensation. xAI's vertical integration targeting After leaving OpenAI, Musk founded xAI, which reached a valuation of $200 billion in September, still comfortably in second place despite the gap. xAI recently completed a $10 billion fundraising round and received an additional $2 billion from SpaceX. Its core product Grok deeply integrates with X, Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink, forming a closed loop of data and customer accumulation. Some market predictions suggest that Grok's annual revenue could soar from $500 million in 2025 to $19 billion in 2029, and xAI plans to shorten model training times using the 'Colossus' supercomputer. Unlike OpenAI, which relies on external corporate partnerships, xAI treats AI as a shared engine within Musk's ecosystem. Related reports YZi Labs investment + Plasma partnership, will USD.AI stablecoin become the next gold mine? Wall Street grim reaper claims AI is definitely not a bubble, while the community panics: run fast, the situation is worse than we think. <OpenAI completes $6.6 billion equity private sale, valuation skyrockets to $500 billion! Facing Elon Musk's xAI head-on> This article was first published on BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.