OpenAI reportedly cuts its funding round to $20B at a $1.25T valuation

What was claimed?

The Financial Times reported, as relayed by Trending Topics and TradingView News on October 31, that OpenAI lowered the target for its current funding round from $30 billion to about $20 billion, and its valuation from $1.4 trillion to $1.25 trillion. People familiar with the matter said some investors reduced their planned amounts, that the deadline for binding commitments passed on Friday, October 30, and that the first close could come in below the new target. A consortium from the United Arab Emirates including MGX is expected to be the largest backer, with Founders Fund, Coatue, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and SoftBank also expected to take part.

What does the evidence support?

Reported claim, not independently established

Ten days ago OpenAI was reported to be racing to raise $30 billion before Anthropic's planned listing. A smaller round, the same week technology shares fell over the cost of AI spending, is a sign that private investors are also becoming more cautious on price.

What are the limits?

These are anonymous-source reports of a round that has not closed; OpenAI has not confirmed the figures. This edition did not read the Financial Times article and relies on two outlets relaying it, so the original timestamp was not checked. The $1.4 trillion starting point comes from the earlier Reuters report of talks, not from OpenAI.The valuation is private financing, not a public market value.

Claim or evidence date: 2026-10-31. Last verified: 2026-10-31T12:18:56.297Z.

Trending Topics · OpenAI cuts funding round to $20 billion (citing the Financial Times) ↗