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OpenAI projected to bring in $20bn less in revenue than expected

OpenAI has revealed that it is making about $20bn less in projected revenue than it had recently indicated to investors, raising questions about the break-neck growth rate in demand for AI. The ChatGPT-maker company has told investors that its revenues for this year would reach $50bn (£37bn), a projection based on sales up to the end of September. However, this is significantly less than the $70bn that it had signalled in information provided to investors last month, which was widely reported. Forecasts of annua…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceJournalismTRV-2026-1409· cite & verify
OpenAI projected to bring in $20bn less in revenue than expected

In brief

OpenAI told investors its 2026 revenue is projected at about $50bn, based on sales through the end of September. That is roughly $20bn below the $70bn figure reported a month earlier. The article says the gap arose from efforts to make OpenAI's figures comparable with Anthropic's, which counts sales through cloud partners such as AWS and Google Cloud.

The episode matters because markets watch these forecasts as a gauge of AI demand, and the Nasdaq fell 1.4% on the news, with Nvidia, Oracle and Micron all lower. What remains unclear is how much of the gap is a measurement change rather than weaker demand, and how it will affect OpenAI's early-stage talks to raise $30bn at a roughly $1.4tn valuation.

Main points

  1. OpenAI's projected 2026 revenue is $50bn, down from the $70bn signalled to investors the previous month.
  2. Anthropic counts revenue from cloud partners such as AWS and Google Cloud, whereas OpenAI does not.
  3. Nvidia fell 2.9%, Oracle 5.5% and Micron 4.8% on Thursday as the Nasdaq closed down 1.4%.
  4. OpenAI is in early-stage talks to raise $30bn at a valuation of about $1.4tn.

The problem

OpenAI told investors to expect about $50bn in 2026 revenue instead of the $70bn signalled a month earlier, and the news coincided with falls in US tech shares and fresh doubts over AI demand.

The rundown

The $50bn projection is based on sales up to the end of September. The earlier $70bn figure was in information given to investors last month and was widely reported. The article says the discrepancy came from investors' attempts to compare OpenAI's revenue directly with Anthropic's measure, which hit $65bn in forecast revenue by the end of July.

The article places the news in a wider funding and risk context. OpenAI closed a $122bn round at an $852bn valuation in March. Anthropic announced a $65bn raise two months later at a $965bn valuation. Sam Altman said last month that OpenAI would not list on the stock market this year, citing AI safety concerns, while Anthropic is expected to push ahead with an IPO as soon as next month.

Investors are also still committing heavily to AI. SoftBank, which has invested $65bn in OpenAI, is reportedly seeking up to $100bn from Gulf states and raised $11.1bn in a record high-yield bond sale, paying yields as high as 9.75%, to fund its AI and semiconductor bets.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-10-09

The debate