OpenAI doubles revenue pace to $40 billion: personnel turbulence ahead of IPO
OpenAI is demonstrating impressive financial momentum, reaching an annual revenue run rate (ARR) of $40 billion. This figure is double the forecasts announced at the end of 2025, significantly strengthening the company's position ahead of a potential public offering.
An analysis of the growth structure shows that three key areas are making the main contribution. First, the base of ChatGPT subscribers continues to expand. Second, sales of developer tools focused on working with code are growing rapidly. Third, the young advertising business is beginning to generate tangible revenue.
Drivers of Record Growth
According to my data, July was a landmark month: revenue grew by more than 20% compared to June. Notably, the company earned more in July alone than in the entire second quarter. This indicates not just linear, but exponential acceleration in monetization.
A key role was played by the new pricing policy. In July, OpenAI reduced the cost of a number of services for corporate clients, betting on economies of scale. Contrary to skeptics' expectations, there was no decline in revenue — on the contrary, more affordable products attracted new large customers.
AI agents provided additional momentum. Codex, which automates programmers' tasks, and ChatGPT Work, aimed at office teams, are actively pushing clients to switch to more expensive pricing plans. This is a classic example of successful upselling through added value.
Earlier, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Fryer forecast exceeding the $20 billion mark by the end of 2025. Now management is setting a more ambitious goal — to receive half of its revenue from corporate clients by the end of the current year. The company has not yet officially commented on the new figures.
Personnel Changes and IPO Preparation
However, against the backdrop of financial success, significant personnel changes are being observed. In the coming weeks, Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dressel, who worked at OpenAI for only about eight months after moving from Slack, is leaving the company. Global sales will be led by Dali Rajic, who previously served as president at the cybersecurity company Wiz.
This is not the first loss in senior management. Earlier, Fiji Simo left for health reasons, and the company was also left by the head of the ethics department, the head of the security division, and the former chief strategy officer. President Greg Brockman has taken on some of the management functions to stabilize the situation.
Preparation for the stock exchange is in full swing: the IPO application has been filed in confidential mode, and recently the company bought back $7 billion worth of shares from employees using its own funds. Competitor Anthropic plans to go public as early as October with a valuation exceeding $2 trillion.
Expert opinion: The acceleration in revenue growth is a powerful signal for the market, but staff turnover in key commercial divisions adds risks. Investors should closely watch whether the new sales team can maintain such a high pace of monetization amid growing competition. The success of the IPO will depend on whether financial strength outweighs operational turbulence.