# OpenAI **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/openai **Vertical:** AI & Machine Learning **Subcategory:** LLM Platform **Tier:** Leader **Website:** openai.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary GPT-5 and o3 model family at $25B+ ARR; $840B post-money valuation (Feb 2026 round); ChatGPT 1B+ users; largest private fundraise in history ($110B). Competing with Anthropic Claude 4, Google Gemini 3, Meta Llama 4. ## Company Overview OpenAI is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company developing and deploying large-scale AI systems — including GPT-4o, o1 reasoning models, DALL-E 3 image generation, Sora video generation, and the Whisper speech recognition model — through the ChatGPT consumer product and OpenAI API for developers and enterprise customers. Founded in 2015 as a nonprofit by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and others and restructured into a capped-profit company, OpenAI raised $157 billion in total funding including a $6.6 billion round in October 2024 at a $157 billion valuation and a $40 billion round from SoftBank in 2025, generating $3.7 billion in annualized revenue in 2024 with 400 million weekly ChatGPT users. OpenAI's product portfolio spans consumer and enterprise AI: ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), ChatGPT Team ($30/user/month), and ChatGPT Enterprise (custom pricing) provide conversational AI for individuals and businesses; the OpenAI API provides programmatic access to GPT-4o, o1, o3, and specialized models for developers building AI applications; and OpenAI's Assistants API enables developers to build persistent AI agents with file retrieval, code execution, and function calling. The o1 and o3 reasoning models (November 2024 - early 2025) introduced chain-of-thought reasoning that significantly outperforms GPT-4 on complex mathematical, scientific, and coding tasks — establishing OpenAI's technical frontier leadership in reasoning-capable AI. In 2025, OpenAI competes in the AI model and applications market with Anthropic (Claude models, $7.3B raised), Google DeepMind (Gemini models, NASDAQ: GOOGL), and Meta AI (Llama open-source models) for AI platform dominance. OpenAI's 2025 restructuring from capped-profit to standard for-profit entity removes governance complexity that complicated fundraising and talent retention. The SoftBank $40 billion investment (combined with the Stargate joint venture with SoftBank, Oracle, and the US government) funds the compute infrastructure for next-generation model training. OpenAI's AGI development mission and Sam Altman's reinstatement as CEO after the November 2023 board crisis reinforced investor confidence in the company's trajectory toward general-purpose AI systems. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is OpenAI? OpenAI is an AI research company that develops artificial intelligence models and products. Founded in 2015, OpenAI is known for creating GPT models and ChatGPT, which have transformed how people interact with artificial intelligence. The company's mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. ### Who founded OpenAI? OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and a team of AI researchers in San Francisco, California. Sam Altman, who was previously president of Y Combinator, serves as CEO. The company started as a non-profit AI research organization with a focus on AGI safety and alignment. ### When was OpenAI founded? OpenAI was founded in 2015 in San Francisco, California. It started as a non-profit research organization and later evolved to include a for-profit arm to secure necessary funding for expensive AI research and development. ### What are OpenAI's main products? OpenAI's main products include: ChatGPT (conversational AI chatbot), GPT-3 and GPT-4 (large language models), DALL-E (AI image generation), and the OpenAI API (developer platform for accessing AI models). These products serve millions of users and thousands of businesses worldwide. ### What makes OpenAI unique? OpenAI is unique for pioneering advanced large language models like GPT-3 and GPT-4, creating ChatGPT which became the fastest-growing consumer app in history, and maintaining a strong focus on AI safety and alignment. The company combines cutting-edge research with practical applications while emphasizing responsible AI development. ### How is OpenAI funded? OpenAI has received significant funding, including a $10 billion+ partnership with Microsoft. The company reached a valuation of $90 billion in 2023. This funding supports the enormous computational resources required for training advanced AI models and maintaining the infrastructure for products like ChatGPT. ### What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is OpenAI's conversational AI chatbot launched in 2022. It uses large language models (initially GPT-3.5, now GPT-4 for premium users) to engage in human-like conversations, answer questions, help with writing, coding, analysis, and various other tasks. It became the fastest-growing consumer application in history. ### How much does OpenAI cost? OpenAI offers both free and paid options. ChatGPT is available for free with GPT-3.5, while ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) provides access to GPT-4, faster response times, and priority access. The OpenAI API uses usage-based pricing, charging per token processed by the AI models. ### What is OpenAI's relationship with Microsoft? Microsoft has invested over $10 billion in OpenAI and is a strategic partner. This partnership provides OpenAI with computational resources through Microsoft Azure, while Microsoft integrates OpenAI's technology into products like Bing, Microsoft 365, and other services. The partnership was established in 2023 and is central to both companies' AI strategies. ### What is OpenAI's mission? OpenAI's original mission is to 'ensure AGI benefits all humanity.' The company focuses on developing safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence while making AI tools accessible and useful. This includes research into AI safety, alignment, and democratization of AI technology. ### Who uses OpenAI's products? OpenAI's products are used by individuals, developers, businesses, researchers, and enterprises worldwide. Users include content creators, programmers, students, educators, customer service teams, and companies integrating AI into their products. ChatGPT alone has hundreds of millions of users. ### How do I get started with OpenAI? To get started with OpenAI, visit chat.openai.com to use ChatGPT for free, or sign up for ChatGPT Plus for advanced features. Developers can access the OpenAI API at platform.openai.com to integrate AI models into applications. No coding knowledge is required for ChatGPT, while API access requires programming skills. ### What are GPT-3 and GPT-4? GPT-3 and GPT-4 are large language models developed by OpenAI. GPT-3, launched in 2020, has 175 billion parameters and can generate human-like text. GPT-4, released in 2023, is more advanced with improved reasoning, creativity, and multimodal capabilities (can process both text and images). These models power ChatGPT and the OpenAI API. ### Is OpenAI safe and trustworthy? OpenAI prioritizes AI safety and has dedicated teams working on alignment, safety research, and responsible deployment. The company implements safeguards against harmful outputs, conducts extensive testing, and publishes research on AI safety. However, like all AI systems, OpenAI's models have limitations and users should verify important information. ### What industries benefit from OpenAI? OpenAI's technology benefits numerous industries including technology, education, healthcare, customer service, content creation, software development, finance, legal, marketing, and research. Companies use OpenAI for automation, customer support, content generation, code assistance, data analysis, and innovation. ## Tags ai-powered, api-first, b2b, developer-tools, platform, saas, unicorn --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*