OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently stated that the company brings in “well more” than $13 billion in annual revenue. He seemed annoyed when asked about how OpenAI plans to pay for its massive spending commitments, which are reportedly over $1 trillion for computing infrastructure in the next decade.
Altman made these comments during a joint interview on the Bg2 podcast with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Host Brad Gerstner questioned the reported $13 billion in revenue against the company’s significant future spending. Altman quickly corrected him, saying, “First of all, we’re doing well more revenue than that.” He then joked with Gerstner, “Second of all, Brad, if you want to sell your shares, I’ll find you a buyer.” Nadella laughed at this comment.
Altman added that critics who express “breathless concern” about OpenAI’s computing needs would likely “be thrilled to buy our shares.” He even suggested that one of the few times he wishes OpenAI were a public company is when these critics write “ridiculous ‘OpenAI is about to go out of business’ posts.” He would love for them to “short the stock” and “get burned.”
While Altman admitted the company “might screw it up,” perhaps by not getting enough computing resources, he stressed that “revenue is growing steeply.” He explained that OpenAI is making a “forward bet” on continued growth. This includes not only ChatGPT but also becoming a major AI cloud, developing a significant consumer device business, and creating huge value through AI that can automate science.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also expressed confidence in Altman, saying that OpenAI has “beaten” every business plan it has shared with Microsoft as an investor.
Later in the interview, Gerstner speculated that OpenAI could reach $100 billion in revenue by 2028 or 2029. However, Altman quickly dismissed reports that OpenAI plans to go public next year. He said, “No, no, no, we don’t have anything that specific.” He believes an IPO “will happen someday,” but emphasized that there is no set date or board decision for it.
