OpenAI surpasses SpaceX as the world’s most valuable private company after a $6.6 billion employee share sale at a $500 billion valuation, showcasing the AI investment frenzy. The sale allows current and former staff to sell shares to companies like Thrive Capital and SoftBank. SoftBank’s U.S. shares rose 1.7% post-sale.

This marks OpenAI’s second major tender offer, following a $1.5 billion SoftBank transaction last year. The company’s value skyrocketed from $300 billion to $500 billion this year, placing it ahead of SpaceX. Despite GPT-5 scrutiny, investor confidence remains high. OpenAI and Nvidia announced a strategic partnership to deploy at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems.

The ongoing Stargate partnership between OpenAI, Softbank, and Oracle aims to bolster America’s AI infrastructure. The sale provides employees with liquidity to counter rival pay packages. OpenAI recently lifted its capped-profit limit, facing legal pressure from Elon Musk, who has sued the company multiple times, accusing it of abandoning its nonprofit mission and stealing xAI data and trade secrets.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: OpenAI Tops SpaceX as World’s Most Valuable Private Company With $500 Billion Valuation