OpenAI Is World's Top Startup With $500B Valuation After Employee Share Sale

Core Insights - OpenAI has completed a secondary share sale that values the company at $500 billion, making it the most valuable startup globally [2][6] - The share sale allows employees to cash out and follows reports of Meta Platforms poaching AI talent from OpenAI with signing bonuses up to $100 million [2][3] Valuation and Market Impact - OpenAI's valuation reflects strong investor demand for AI-related investments, contributing to record highs in major U.S. equity indexes [3] - The company surpassed SpaceX's valuation of $400 billion, previously valued at $300 billion earlier this year [3][6] Investor Participation - Notable investors in the secondary share sale include SoftBank, Thrive Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi's MGX, and T. Rowe Price [4] - SoftBank had previously invested $30 billion in a funding round for OpenAI earlier this year [4] Industry Context - OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, is part of a trend where AI startups are experiencing soaring valuations as investors seek exposure to the sector [5] - Nvidia plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI to develop AI data centers, highlighting the chipmaker's significant role in the AI boom [5]