Buying OpenAI stock: Is there an IPO? What investors need to know and how you can invest today

You might use ChatGPT every day for writing, research, coding or planning. You still cannot buy OpenAI stock, at least not yet. The honest answer first: as of October 2026, OpenAI is a private company, and there is no publicly tradable OpenAI share. CEO Sam Altman ruled out an IPO this year in September 2026. Even so, there is already a regulated way to invest in OpenAI indirectly today.

OpenAI at a glance

• You cannot buy OpenAI stock as of October 2026. There is no share price, no ticker and no ISIN.
• IPO: Sam Altman has ruled out 2026, and OpenAI has not named a new date.
• OpenAI was most recently valued at around 852 billion US dollars in June 2026.
• You can gain indirect exposure through the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF, which holds OpenAI in its portfolio. Via NAO, you can start from 1 euro, including with a savings plan.
• An ELTIF is a long-term investment and less liquid than a share. Losses up to a total loss are possible.

Can you already buy OpenAI stock?

No, you cannot currently buy OpenAI stock on an exchange. As of October 2026, OpenAI is a private company. For retail investors, that means no tradable share, no market price and no ticker or ISIN that would let you add OpenAI directly to your portfolio.

This is the key point if you are searching for a price, a ticker or a way to add OpenAI to your portfolio directly: a listed OpenAI security does not exist at the moment. If you see a supposed OpenAI price somewhere, it most likely refers to estimates, secondary market prices or news about the company's valuation. An official share price on an exchange does not exist yet.

The search makes sense all the same. OpenAI is one of the companies most closely linked to the AI boom. ChatGPT made artificial intelligence genuinely usable for many people for the first time, which is exactly why many investors wonder whether they can get involved before a possible IPO.

The short answer: not directly through a single share yet. There is an indirect, regulated route, which this article explains further down.

When will OpenAI go public? Where the IPO stands

As of October 2026, there is still no official date for an OpenAI IPO. What is known: OpenAI confidentially filed for an IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 8 June 2026. According to Reuters and Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are advising on the process.

In September 2026, CEO Sam Altman ruled out an IPO this year. In an interview with Fortune, he pointed to open questions around AI safety and said that now would be an unwise moment to go public.

Filing confidentially means a company starts the formal IPO process without publishing all documents straight away. That is common for large IPOs. For you, the filing exists, yet it does not create a guaranteed date, a guaranteed valuation or a way to buy the stock on an exchange today.

The earlier target window of autumn 2026 is therefore off the table, and OpenAI has not named a new date. The timing remains officially unconfirmed, which is why any specific date forecast would be unreliable.

The OpenAI IPO also sits within a wider market window. SpaceX has been listed since June 2026, and Anthropic is preparing its listing. Earlier reports that OpenAI wanted to go public before Anthropic are outdated following Altman's statement. It shows how fierce the competition for attention, capital and valuation in AI and technology is right now.

If you are interested in pre-IPO companies, our article on SpaceX stock may also be relevant. The search logic is similar: many people want to buy a well-known private company, yet the route works differently from ordinary listed shares.

How much is OpenAI worth? Valuation and revenue

As of June 2026, OpenAI was valued at around 852 billion US dollars. This valuation is based on a funding round of 122 billion US dollars that closed in the first quarter of 2026.

According to Reuters, a target valuation of up to 1 trillion US dollars has been mentioned for a potential IPO. That is a target, and the figure is not fixed. Some reports cite even higher ranges. For a clear view, keep in mind that such figures reflect market expectations and do not guarantee an IPO valuation.

Valuations of private companies are also read differently from those of listed shares. On an exchange, supply and demand make a price visible every day. For private companies, valuations usually come from funding rounds, investor talks, secondary market transactions or planned IPO scenarios. That is why such figures can change quickly, especially in a market where AI companies have to meet very high expectations.

On revenue, we deliberately stay qualitative: OpenAI stands for strong growth and for heavy investment in computing power, product development and infrastructure. This mix makes the company attractive to many investors and demanding to value at the same time.

There is also an important structural step: in 2025 and 2026, OpenAI moved to a public benefit corporation with a for-profit structure. This structure is seen as a prerequisite for an IPO and shows that OpenAI has moved closer to a possible listing.

A high valuation can signal strong confidence, and it also raises expectations. If you invest before the IPO, you take part in a story with considerable potential and correspondingly high risks.

Is there a ChatGPT stock?

No, there is no ChatGPT stock. ChatGPT is the product, and OpenAI is the company behind it.

The confusion is understandable, because many people knew ChatGPT before they knew OpenAI. If the IPO happens, the company OpenAI would be listed on the exchange, and the product ChatGPT would not have a listing of its own. Anyone searching for a ChatGPT stock or a ChatGPT IPO ends up with the same core question: can you invest in OpenAI?

The same applies here for now: there is no direct share yet. If you want exposure to OpenAI before the IPO, you need a different route from a classic share purchase on an exchange.

Investing in OpenAI before the IPO

You cannot currently buy OpenAI as a single stock. There is, however, a regulated way to invest in OpenAI indirectly while it is still private: the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF, which is available through NAO.

The fund holds stakes in private innovation companies, including OpenAI, SpaceX and Databricks. With it, you hold a share in a fund portfolio in which OpenAI is one of the largest positions, and you do not own an individual OpenAI share.

Via NAO, you can invest from 1 euro, including with a savings plan. You can find more about access on the page ARK via NAO.

This matters because retail investors have traditionally come late to private companies. Large funding rounds before an IPO are usually reserved for institutional investors. An ELTIF can bridge that gap, because it opens up private markets to retail investors within a regulated fund structure.

The distinction still matters: you invest in a fund that holds OpenAI among other companies. Performance therefore depends on the whole portfolio, the valuations of private companies, liquidity and the fund's terms, and OpenAI is only one part of it.

What is an ELTIF and how does it differ from an ETF?

An ELTIF is a European fund structure that can give retail investors access to private markets. Private markets are investments that do not trade daily on an exchange, for example stakes in private companies.

An ETF, by contrast, typically tracks an exchange-traded index and can usually be bought or sold on any trading day. An ELTIF works differently: it has a longer horizon, invests in less liquid assets, and redemptions are only possible at certain times, depending on the fund.

Simply put, an ETF sits closer to daily market activity, while an ELTIF sits closer to private company investments. That is why opportunities, risks and liquidity differ markedly. You can also find an overview of private markets and the different asset classes in NAO's private equity overview.

Opportunities and risks at a glance

OpenAI is one of the most talked-about companies right now. A clear picture only emerges when you weigh the opportunities against the risks.

Opportunities:

• Access before the IPO: Through the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF, you can gain indirect exposure to OpenAI before any share becomes freely tradable on an exchange.
• AI exposure: OpenAI sits at the centre of a market that is changing many industries, from writing to software development.
• A fund instead of a single bet: The ELTIF holds several private innovation companies, including OpenAI, SpaceX and Databricks.
• Low entry threshold: Via NAO, you can start from 1 euro, including with a savings plan.

Risks:

• No direct share ownership: You invest in a fund with a stake in OpenAI and hold no OpenAI shares yourself.
• Limited liquidity: ELTIFs are designed for the long term. Redemptions are usually possible quarterly and may be limited.
• Valuation risk: OpenAI's valuation is very high. If expectations are not met, the valuation could come under pressure.
• Concentration risk: OpenAI is one of the fund's largest positions. If OpenAI's valuation develops worse than expected, this has a noticeable effect on the value of the fund.
• IPO timing open: There is no official IPO date. Sam Altman has ruled out an IPO in 2026, and a new date is open.
• Total loss possible: Private market investments carry risks. Capital losses up to and including a total loss are possible.

This section is for orientation and does not constitute investment advice. You can find the fund documents and the KID for the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF in the NAO app. Read them carefully before making an investment decision, especially the information on risks, costs, redemptions and term.

Conclusion: Is it worth getting in before the IPO?

The IPO is the shop window. Your investment can start before it.

That is what makes OpenAI special: if you wait for the freely tradable share, you have to wait for the IPO, and today you know neither the date nor the issue price. If you want to invest earlier, you need regulated access to private company stakes, and that is where the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF comes in.

It remains a deliberate decision. OpenAI is highly valued, the IPO timing is open, and an ELTIF is longer-term and less liquid than a listed share. At the same time, it gives you access that used to be reserved mainly for institutional investors, embedded in a fund portfolio of several private innovation companies.

If you want to check whether this access suits your investment horizon and risk profile, you will find the details of the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF in the NAO app, along with the full fund documents and the KID.

FAQ

Can I currently buy OpenAI stock?

No, you cannot currently buy OpenAI stock on an exchange. As of October 2026, OpenAI is a private company, so there is no freely tradable share for retail investors.

When is the OpenAI IPO planned?

There is no official date yet. OpenAI confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC on 8 June 2026. In September 2026, CEO Sam Altman ruled out an IPO this year, so 2027 is the earliest a listing is conceivable.

What is OpenAI's valuation?

As of June 2026, OpenAI was valued at around 852 billion US dollars. According to Reuters, a target valuation of up to 1 trillion US dollars has been mentioned for the IPO. That figure is a target and not a fixed valuation.

Is there an ISIN or ticker for OpenAI?

No, there is currently no ISIN or ticker for OpenAI stock. These identifiers only exist once a security has been formally structured and listed for trading.

What is the difference between a ChatGPT stock and OpenAI?

ChatGPT is a product of OpenAI, and there is no separate ChatGPT stock. If OpenAI goes public, the shares would be in the company OpenAI, which offers ChatGPT among other products.

How can I invest in OpenAI before the IPO?

You can invest in OpenAI indirectly before the IPO through the ARK Private Innovation ELTIF. The fund holds private innovation companies such as OpenAI, SpaceX and Databricks and is available via NAO.

What is the minimum investment via NAO?

Via NAO, you can start from 1 euro, including with a savings plan. Details on the fund, risks, costs and redemption options are in the fund documents and the KID in the NAO app.

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This article is for information only and does not constitute investment advice. Investments in private markets are long-term, capital is tied up for the term, and losses up to a total loss are possible. You can find the fund documents and the key information document in the NAO app.

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