Market Sobering: OpenAI Forced to Cut Valuation to $1.25T Amid Investor Pressure

Even the leaders of the AI race are not immune to the reassessment of infrastructure risks. On October 23, 2026, the Financial Times and Bloomberg reported that, amid ongoing negotiations to raise $30 billion, OpenAI was forced to cut its target capitalization valuation from a phenomenal $1.4 trillion to $1.25 trillion. Institutional investors balked at Sam Altman's initial appetite.

A $150 billion valuation haircut is a cold shower for the entire tech industry. Venture capital is signaling growing uncertainty: the colossal rise in capital expenditures (CAPEX) for training new frontier models and data center infrastructure casts doubt on the pace of achieving pure profitability. Slashing the valuation of the world's most valuable startup triggers a chain reaction across the entire B2B market. Investors are no longer buying promises of "imminent AGI," demanding transparent unit economics and stable cash flow from companies.

Source: Financial Times / Bloomberg