OpenAI will reserve portion of IPO shares for retail investors, CFO tells CNBC

OpenAI is set to reserve a portion of its upcoming IPO shares for retail investors, according to CFO Sarah Friar in a CNBC interview.

This move comes as the AI company prepares for a potential stock market listing that could value it at up to $1 trillion, with plans to file with regulators possibly by the second half of 2026.

In its latest funding round, OpenAI raised over $3 billion from individual investors, significantly exceeding its original target of $1 billion. The company has seen strong demand from retail investors, prompting the decision to allocate shares to them, a departure from the typical model where large institutional investors dominate IPO allocations.

This shift reflects a growing trend, as SpaceX also plans a similar strategy for its own IPO.