OpenAI weighs funding at record $1.2tn valuation

OpenAI is exploring a new funding round that would value the company at $1.2 trillion, capitalising on surging demand following recent model launches and ahead of a planned IPO. The news landed on the same day CEO Sam Altman told a San Francisco conference that the world is "right to be afraid" of AI but should trust companies like his to manage the risks — a position that put him awkwardly between Anthropic's Dario Amodei, who called for a slowdown, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who argued against any regulation. The $1.2tn figure would make OpenAI one of the most valuable companies on earth.