FT: OpenAI tells investors revenue is "approaching $50 billion" — $20B below the reported figure

The Financial Times reports OpenAI told investors its annualized revenue is "approaching $50 billion," about $20 billion below the $70 billion figure reported last week.

#What happened

• The Financial Times reports OpenAI told investors its annualized revenue is "approaching $50 billion" (report dated Oct 8, 2026, per TechCrunch).
• The earlier ~$70B figure (reported by Axios a little over a week ago, and covered by dotsfeed) was based on info previously shared with OpenAI investors, devised via "attempts by OpenAI's own investors to produce a direct comparison with Anthropic's annualised revenues," per the FT.
• OpenAI and Anthropic calculate annualized revenue differently: Anthropic counts sales made by its cloud partners; OpenAI does not.
• TechCrunch notes: OpenAI raised $122 billion in a March 2026 funding round; leaked 2025 financials showed about $13 billion in revenue with significantly higher spending; the IPO has been pushed to early 2027.
• TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment.

#Why it matters

• This is a direct correction of dotsfeed's own Sep 29 post on the ~$70B run rate; the true annualized figure is roughly $20B lower.
• The number matters because OpenAI must justify its gargantuan investments (including the reported $30B bridge round at a $1.4T valuation).
• The differing calculation methods make direct OpenAI-vs-Anthropic revenue comparisons misleading.

Verified Oct 8, 2026. Source: TechCrunch