OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has rejected claims that the company’s annual revenue sits near $13 billion, saying the actual figure is “much higher.” The comment came during a conversation on the Bg2 podcast, where Altman appeared alongside Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to discuss the companies’ strategic partnership.
The host, Brad Gerstner, referenced reports suggesting OpenAI earns roughly $13B per year while planning to spend over a trillion dollars on computing power in the long run. Altman responded sharply, stating that the cited revenue figure significantly underestimates the company’s current performance.
He added jokingly that if Gerstner wanted to sell his OpenAI shares, he would “happily find a buyer,” prompting laughter from both Nadella and the host.
Altman also argued that critics predicting OpenAI’s downfall would likely prefer to own its stock — and would struggle to short the company if it were publicly traded, given the pace of its growth.
At the same time, he acknowledged that OpenAI faces challenges, including increasing demand for computational resources. However, he emphasized that revenue continues to scale rapidly across multiple lines of business — not just from ChatGPT.
According to Altman, OpenAI is expanding into:
- AI cloud infrastructure
- Consumer-grade AI hardware
- Systems designed to accelerate scientific research and discovery
Satya Nadella backed that statement, saying OpenAI has already “exceeded every business plan” presented to Microsoft as its primary strategic investor. He highlighted how quickly the commercial side of OpenAI has evolved compared to expectations.
Later in the conversation, Gerstner suggested OpenAI might reach $100B in annual revenue by 2028–2029. Altman responded that the milestone could arrive even sooner, hinting at a more aggressive growth trajectory.
He also denied speculation that OpenAI is preparing for an IPO, noting that no listing plans are currently being discussed at the board level. However, he did not rule out the possibility in the future.
