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OpenAI is fast becoming a whale in stock market it has shunned
BusinessLineยท2025-10-06 11:57

Core Insights - OpenAI, valued at $500 billion, is significantly influencing the stock market despite being privately held, with its announcements affecting various sectors, particularly e-commerce and software [3][6][12] - The company recently partnered with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), leading to a 28% surge in AMD's shares, while negatively impacting competitors like Nvidia and Intel [2][3] - OpenAI's upcoming developer conference is anticipated to provide insights into its future plans, which could further affect stock movements in related industries [4][6] E-commerce Impact - OpenAI's introduction of an instant buy option in ChatGPT has positively impacted e-commerce stocks such as Shopify and Etsy [1] - The market's reaction indicates a strong correlation between OpenAI's innovations and the performance of e-commerce companies [1][3] Software Sector Reaction - Software stocks, including Atlassian and DocuSign, experienced declines of over 9% following OpenAI's internal feature announcements, reflecting investor concerns about AI disruption [9][11] - A Goldman Sachs index of software-as-a-service stocks saw a 3.3% drop, marking its worst week in two months [9] Future Developments - Analysts expect OpenAI to diversify its offerings beyond ChatGPT, potentially introducing new consumer AI agents and tools [4][5] - The company is exploring ways to monetize its large user base of over 700 million, as it reported $4.3 billion in revenue but incurred a loss of $2.5 billion in the first half of 2025 [7] Market Sentiment - There is a mixed sentiment regarding the threat posed by OpenAI, with some analysts suggesting that the negative stock reactions may not align with the underlying fundamentals of affected companies [10][11] - OpenAI's influence is expected to grow, with industry experts noting its agility and creativity as factors contributing to its market impact [12][13]