OpenAI revenue projections drop by $20 billion

The revised figure emerges after earlier projections were inflated by investors attempting to align OpenAI’s growth metrics with those of rival Anthropic. These comparisons proved fundamentally flawed because the two companies utilize distinct accounting standards: Anthropic includes sales generated by its cloud partners in its run rate, while OpenAI excludes such indirect revenue streams.

This adjustment arrives as the company faces mounting pressure to justify the massive capital injections sustaining its operations, including a $122 billion funding round secured in March. Financial documents leaked earlier this year revealed a significant gap between revenue and expenditure, with the company spending well beyond its $13 billion intake. Amid these fiscal pressures, plans for an initial public offering have been delayed, with the projected timeline now shifting to early 2027.