Financial Times: OpenAI Revenue Closer to $50B, Not $70B Widely Reported

The Financial Times reported this week that OpenAI told investors its annualized revenue was nearing $50 billion at the end of September — a significant gap from the ~$70 billion figure that had circulated publicly.

Key context:

• The $50 billion figure reflects OpenAI's own, more recent disclosure to investors

• The $70 billion number came from earlier documents and may not measure the same metrics

• Neither OpenAI nor the FT's sourcing has fully clarified the discrepancy

• OpenAI has not publicly disputed the FT's reporting

The gap surfaced alongside other contested AI valuation numbers this week:

• DeepSeek reportedly nearing a $12 billion raise

• Arena nearly doubling its valuation to $3.1 billion

As more frontier AI companies approach IPOs and mega-funding rounds, the gap between headline figures in the press and actual investor disclosures is becoming a recurring story worth tracking independently.

Why It Matters: A $20 billion discrepancy between widely cited and actual revenue figures is a concrete reminder to verify any AI industry benchmark against primary sources before using it.