The global craze for artificial intelligence has placed OpenAI at the center of attention, fueling a growing desire among investors to take a stake in the company behind ChatGPT. However, to date, it remains impossible to buy OpenAI shares, as the company is still a private, non-listed entity. No initial public offering (IPO) has taken place yet, depriving the general public of direct access via traditional stock exchanges. While the firm hit a major regulatory milestone by confidentially filing an S-1 form with the SEC in June 2026, no official market entry date has been set.
Financially, the company shows impressive metrics, with nearly 900 million weekly active users and monthly revenues in the billions. However, its private valuation—estimated between $1.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion according to the latest fundraising rumors—masks a complex economic reality: OpenAI remains heavily loss-making. Massive investments in computing infrastructure prevent any immediate profitability, a situation unlikely to change before the end of the decade. These crucial financial details will remain opaque until the final prospectus is published, an essential prerequisite for any public listing.
Faced with this anticipation, some investors are tempted by risky alternative solutions, particularly pre-IPO markets via decentralized platforms. These financial instruments, often in the form of tokens or synthetic contracts, allow for speculation on the company's future valuation. It is, however, vital to emphasize that these assets offer no real legal ownership of OpenAI and are subject to extreme volatility, as evidenced by recent sharp drops in similar tokens following legal clarifications issued by industry players. Caution is therefore advised when dealing with these unregulated derivatives.
For retail investors looking to prepare, the recommended strategy is to plan for the future listing by opening an account with a reputable online broker. Although the IPO could be pushed back to 2027 according to statements by Sam Altman, this preparation ensures optimal reactivity on the big day. In the meantime, those looking for exposure to the AI sector can turn to publicly traded tech companies playing a key role in the infrastructure of this revolution, such as Nvidia, TSMC, or other major players in the memory and semiconductor industries.