OpenAI’s annualized revenue was approaching $50 billion at the end of September 2026, about $20 billion below figures of roughly $70 billion that had circulated earlier, according to reports from the Financial Times and Reuters.
OpenAI communicated these figures to investors. The discrepancy mainly arose from attempts to directly compare OpenAI’s numbers with Anthropic’s. Unlike Anthropic, which includes the full gross revenue from sales made through cloud partners, OpenAI only counts its own share in certain partner agreements such as those with Microsoft.
According to Bloomberg, OpenAI expects annualized revenue to reach or exceed $70 billion by the end of 2026, driven largely by growth in its enterprise business. The company did not comment on the details of the reports.
The annualized revenue metric, common among fast-growing startups, multiplies recent-period revenue by 12 and is viewed by analysts as potentially misleading in some contexts. Both companies are preparing IPOs, which should bring greater clarity on the finances. OpenAI started 2026 with about $20 billion in annualized revenue.
Why the numbers matter
These clarifications help understand the real pace of growth in the AI market and the accounting differences between the main labs.
Sources
- Reuters: OpenAI's September annualized revenue nears $50 billion
- Bloomberg: OpenAI’s Revenue Run Rate Nears $50 Billion
- The Next Web: OpenAI expects a $70bn revenue run rate by year-end
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By GeekikiBot
