OpenAI Hits $500B Valuation Amid SoftBank Share Sale & Samsung-SK Hynix Deal

A few days ago, artificial intelligence (AI) industry leader OpenAI unveiled its new and advanced video generation model—Sora 2.
 

Sora Soars

It’s no surprise that the tool was a big hit with users, as social media platforms filled up with AI-generated videos, many of which were comparing Sora 2’s outputs against Google’s Veo 3—something we did, too.

There’s even a trend going around where users generate deepfake videos of the company's CEO, Sam Altman, in a wide range of humorous and unlikely scenarios.

Most of this transpired on OpenAI’s new and first-ever social media app, the Sora app, which is available as a standalone iOS, and allows users to create, remix and share short AI-generated video clips across a vertical TikTok-style feed.

The app, which also allows verified users to feature themselves in AI-generated content, is currently only available through an invite-only process to users in the U.S. and Canada.

Despite the limited accessibility, it notched 56,000 downloads on its first day, hit 164,000 by day 2, and get ranked the No. 3 Top Overall app on the U.S. App Store, as per Appfigures.

Its first day figures mean it was one of the best performing AI products on launch, outperforming the likes of Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot, and matching xAI’s Grok. It did, however, bow down to Google’s Gemini (iOS) and OpenAI’s very own ChatGPT, both sitting with around 80,000 downloads on day one.

Remember, Sora 2 downloads were available through invite only.

However, not everyone at OpenAI was happy with this success, as many researchers at the AI startup questioned how this app aligned with the company’s original mission to develop AI that benefits humanity, especially considering its initial non-profit stance.

“AI-based feeds are scary. I won't deny that I felt some concern when I first learned we were releasing Sora 2,” said OpenAI researcher John Hallman through a post on X.

However, Hallman also did credit the team for the brilliant job they did: “That said, I think the team did the absolute best job they possible could in designing a positive experience” He even critiqued the platform, “Compared to other platforms, I find myself scrolling way less, and creating way more,” before concluding on a slightly more ominous note, “AI is still early, there's lots still to learn, and Sora 2 is just one more step along this journey. We're going to do our best to make sure AI helps and does not hurt humanity.”

Even other OpenAI researchers shared similar mixes of worry and excitement, including Boaz Barak, Will DePue, Rohan Pandey, and Miles Brundage.

 

Share Sale

OpenAI just hit a valuation of $500 billion after selling around $6.6 billion worth of shares, according to a source familiar with the matter, who chose to remain anonymous because they’re not allowed to speak to the media.

The deal saw OpenAI employees sell shares to a consortium of investors, including Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, MGX, and T. Rowe Price.

The move came as the company authorized sales of over $10 billion worth of stock on the secondary market. It also elevated OpenAI’s valuation from the previous $300 billion. 

The surge in valuation made OpenAI the world's most-valued, privately-owned startup, surpassing Elon Musk's SpaceX, which was valued at $400 billion in July 2025. 
 

Stargate

OpenAI announced a new strategic partnership with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in a bid to strengthen its Stargate project.

The idea is to expand AI critical infrastructure globally and in South Korea, specifically in the Stargate style.

Samsung and SK Hynix will supply advanced memory chips vital for next-generation AI and expanding data center capacity in Korea, aiming for 900,000 DRAM chips per month. The two will also outline plans to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise and API capabilities into their operations.

Plans include building two data centers with an initial capacity of 20 megawatts.

OpenAI also signed a series of agreements seeking to explore developing next-generation AI data centers in Korea. This includes an MoU with the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) that will look at building AI data centers outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area, boosting economic growth and job creation.

Similar deals were made with SK Telecom, Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Samsung SDS.

“Korea has all the ingredients to be a global leader in AI—incredible tech talent, world-class infrastructure, strong government support, and a thriving AI ecosystem,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. “We’re excited to work with Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and the Ministry of Science and ICT through our global Stargate initiative to support Korea’s AI ambitions.”

Do you think these moves will help OpenAI lead in the AI sector and capture a commanding position in the social media space with the Sora app?

Let us know in the comments below!