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OpenAI cuts its valuation target to $1.25 trillion

Published

OpenAI is seeking about $30 billion in new funding, people familiar with the talks said. The target is down from $1.4 trillion after some investors resisted the higher price, and the round is meant to bridge to a possible public listing.

People with knowledge of the talks said demand from Morgan Stanley private wealth clients was weaker than in the past. Some investors were tired after investing heavily in earlier rounds. The bank is leading the process, and the fund Dragoneer floated the deal to those clients.

OpenAI's current valuation is $852 billion, and reports said it raised $122 billion in March 2026. Reports said the round is a bridge to a share listing that could come in the first half of 2027.

Reports said Coatue and funds based in the United Arab Emirates are in talks to lead the round. Reports also said OpenAI told investors on Thursday that it wants signatures by the end of next week. The people said the talks continue and details could change.

Key facts

Who
Morgan Stanley; Dragoneer; George Hammond (FT reporter who wrote the story); George Steer (FT reporter who wrote the story)
When
23 October 2026
Where
UAE
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections is under way at 23,696 stations, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a smooth start on 4 November. Stations opened at 7am and close at 9pm, and by 10am preliminary figures showed 3,523,691 voters had cast ballots.

There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe told members not to query the results or discredit the IEC, while the IEC said false online claims show routine procedures as fraud.

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  2. Mashatile urges new councillors to put voters first
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US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the midterm elections held on 3 November, according to media projections. Exit polls showed voters were angry about high prices and the direction of the country, and rebuked President Donald Trump.

Before the vote, US forces struck targets on Qeshm Island in Iran, while Republicans struggled to defend the war against Iran on the campaign trail. Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war, and Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, as analysts pointed to fears of gridlock in Washington.

  1. Iran welcomes Democratic wins in US midterm elections
  2. Democrats win US Congress in midterm vote, projections show
  3. Ramaphosa wants US trade deal after AGOA suspension

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AI Cooling

What you need to know

Nvidia has told its cloud computing clients to sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic said it has committed to spend close to $900bn on AI infrastructure, and that its computing costs are rising faster than its revenues.

Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

  1. Accenture faces accusations over AI report with false citations
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  3. Google lets schools turn off AI tools but limits Search

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