OpenAI has closed an initial $11 billion of a funding round, CNBC says
CNBC's article, published at 11:22 AM EST on 6 November 2026 and updated at 5:25 PM EST the same day, says OpenAI has closed an initial $11 billion of a funding round. It says CNBC confirmed that portion on Friday, and that the company could raise up to an additional $9 billion in the coming weeks. It says Bloomberg was first to report the $11 billion portion. The same article says chief financial officer Sarah Friar said OpenAI is in talks to raise funding at a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation, that the round is ongoing, and that the company will continue to invest in infrastructure after the US midterm elections.
Source: CNBC (opens in a new tab), 6 Nov 2026Also: TechCrunch, citing Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)
CNBC's article, published at 11:22 AM EST on 6 November 2026 and updated at 5:25 PM EST the same day, says OpenAI has closed an initial $11 billion of a funding round. It says CNBC confirmed that portion on Friday, and that the company could raise up to an additional $9 billion in the coming weeks. It says Bloomberg was first to report the $11 billion portion. The same article says chief financial officer Sarah Friar said OpenAI is in talks to raise funding at a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation, that the round is ongoing, and that the company will continue to invest in infrastructure after the US midterm elections.
CNBC's unofficial transcript of the same interview, published at 12:43 PM EST on 6 November 2026, prints Friar's words as "We will raise at a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation." In that transcript the interviewer says the round was originally supposed to be $1.4 trillion last month, and Friar says 1.25 is almost a 50 percent lift from the round closed in March. TechCrunch, citing Bloomberg and people familiar with the matter, says the $11 billion is part of a round that values OpenAI at $1.25 trillion, that the round has not closed, and that it could total about $20 billion. The Verge, also citing Bloomberg, uses the same $11 billion and $1.25 trillion figures, and says Bloomberg's account is that OpenAI is still pursuing further investment that could take the amount to $20 billion, after initially hoping to raise as much as $30 billion at $1.4 trillion. TechCrunch says it asked OpenAI for comment. The article that was opened does not include a reply. No OpenAI post announcing the close was opened.
What it means for business: the $11 billion figure is a reported close of part of a round, not a new statute and not an OpenAI webpage. CNBC's article and its unofficial transcript print the valuation as $1.25 billion. TechCrunch and The Verge, each citing Bloomberg, print $1.25 trillion. Those pages were all opened. This describes the reports. It is not a view on the round.