OpenAI tells investors annualized revenue nears $50 billion

OpenAI reportedly told investors its annualized revenue approached $50 billion as of late September 2026, a projected pace rather than a closed fiscal year total. The figure reflects a run-rate calculation, such as multiplying monthly sales by 12. A key accounting difference with rival Anthropic involves cloud partner sales: Anthropic may book full customer payments as revenue, while OpenAI records only its share in certain deals, though both follow GAAP principles. A September estimate near $70 billion was roughly $20 billion higher, but that figure was adjusted for comparability with Anthropic’s accounting and was not OpenAI’s own direct communication of its annualized pace.