OpenAI employee share sale plan

According to sources, OpenAI is allowing its employees to sell up to $1.5 billion in shares to Japan's SoftBank Group. This move is one of SoftBank's continued efforts to strengthen its investment in OpenAI, reflecting SoftBank's high interest in the artificial intelligence startup and confidence in future growth.

Softbank's AI strategy continues to expand

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son has always shown strong investment interest in the field of artificial intelligence. Since SoftBank added OpenAI to its last financing, Son has been constantly seeking to expand its shareholding in OpenAI and further strengthen its layout in this fast-growing field. Softbank's current goal is to leverage OpenAI's explosive growth opportunities to pave the way for future revenue growth.

OpenAI's latest financing round and valuation

In October 2023, OpenAI completed a total of US$6.6 billion in financing and received US$500 million from SoftBank. This financing raises OpenAI's valuation to US$157 billion, demonstrating the company's market potential in the field of artificial intelligence. This also provides SoftBank with an opportunity to further increase its holdings and use its Vision Fund 2 funds for this investment.

Employees choose participation deadline

According to reports, OpenAI employees will have the opportunity to participate in the share sale plan and have time until December 24 to decide whether to sell their shares. The sale price of the shares is in line with OpenAI's recent financing price, providing employees with the opportunity to sell their shares at a higher valuation.

Softbank's deep investment in AI

This investment is an important part of SoftBank's continued increase in the field of artificial intelligence. In addition to its investment in OpenAI, SoftBank also acquired AI chip startup Graphcore to further expand its presence in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors. This shows that under the leadership of Masayoshi Son, SoftBank is actively exploring and laying out future technological trends, especially the development of AI technology.