Who Owns OpenAI?
Updated onExplore the ownership hierarchy of OpenAI. See parent companies, holding structures, and ultimate controllers.
Ownership Chain
OpenAI
OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence company that develops advanced language, vision, and multimodal models and products such as ChatGPT and the OpenAI API.
Starts at $0 / month
OpenAI appears to be independent with no known parent company.
OpenAI
OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence company that develops advanced language, vision, and multimodal models and products such as ChatGPT and the OpenAI API.
Starts at $0 / month
OpenAI appears to be independent with no known parent company.
Major Shareholders
OpenAI
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | Voting | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Corporation Largest single shareholder of OpenAI Group PBC, holding about 27% of equity following the October 28, 2025 recapitalization, according to OpenAI/Microsoft partnership disclosures and independent reporting. | Corporate | 27.0% | 27.0% | Oct 2025 |
OpenAI Foundation Nonprofit parent entity that appoints the board of OpenAI Group PBC and retains special governance rights; it owns roughly 26% of the for‑profit OpenAI Group’s equity after the recapitalization, while still controlling the company despite a minority economic stake. | Institutional | 26.0% | — | Oct 2025 |
OpenAI employees (current and former, collectively) Current and some former employees collectively hold on the order of 25–26% of OpenAI Group PBC’s equity after the 2025 restructuring, based on cap‑table analyses that break down the 47% non‑Microsoft, non‑Foundation ownership between staff and outside investors. | Other | 26.0% | 26.0% | Oct 2025 |
SoftBank Group Corp. Japanese investment conglomerate and a major financial backer of OpenAI and the Stargate infrastructure project. SoftBank’s CFO has said its stake in OpenAI is about 11% following its up‑to‑$30 billion investment and the 2025 recapitalization. | Corporate | 11.0% | 11.0% | Nov 2025 |
Other institutional investors (Thrive Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, MGX, T. Rowe Price, etc.) Represents the combined stake of other institutional shareholders in OpenAI Group PBC—such as Thrive Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, T. Rowe Price and others—that participated in recent primary and secondary rounds. Based on public breakdowns, once Microsoft (27%), the OpenAI Foundation (26%), employees (~26%) and SoftBank (~11%) are accounted for, the remaining investors together hold roughly the final ~10% of equity. | Institutional | 10.0% | 10.0% | Oct 2025 |
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