OpenAI allows employees to sell shares for up to $30 million, and 600 people have cashed out $6.6 billion

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), during a recent round of fundraising, OpenAI allowed each employee to sell shares worth up to $30 million. The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said that in October 2025, more than 600 current and former employees collectively sold shares, raising about $6.6 billion in cash; of those, about 75 people each cashed out the full $30 million.

Share-sale scale, limits, and employee participation details

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI required employees to wait two years after joining before they could sell shares. The recent share sale marks the first cash-out opportunity for many employees who joined after ChatGPT was released.

Previously, OpenAI’s per-person share-sale cap was $10 million. According to the WSJ report, the company said that last autumn, in response to investor requests, it raised the cap to $30 million—three times the prior limit.

According to the WSJ report, some employees chose to put their remaining shares into a “donor-advised fund.” Such charitable investment accounts commit funds to charitable causes, while also allowing donors to apply for tax deductions in the same year.

According to the WSJ report, in August 2025, OpenAI had issued one-time bonuses to some employees, with some bonuses reaching several million dollars.

Compensation structure and industry comparison

According to publicly disclosed information on OpenAI’s website, the company’s annual salaries for some technical positions exceed $500,000, and the stock options and other equity incentives it provides also surpass those of many tech companies.

According to the WSJ report, Meta last year offered some top researchers compensation packages of up to $300 million.

According to media reports, OpenAI is currently the world’s most valuable tech startup. About seven years after the company’s first stock offering, the value of shares held by early employees has grown by more than 100 times. In the same period, the Nasdaq Composite index rose by about three times.

Major executive shareholdings and legal-claims backdrop

According to media reports, in testimony at court recently, OpenAI President Greg Brockman disclosed that the value of the company equity he holds is about $30 billion. CEO Sam Altman, meanwhile, said he personally does not hold any company shares, citing that OpenAI was previously a nonprofit. According to the WSJ report, some investors expect that if Altman wins a lawsuit over OpenAI’s reorganization from a nonprofit to a for-profit involving Elon Musk, he will receive equity.

FAQ

What is the share-sale cap OpenAI allows employees to sell in the recent fundraising?

According to the WSJ report, in the recent round of fundraising OpenAI allowed each employee to sell shares worth up to $30 million; the prior cap was $10 million. The company said last autumn it raised the cap threefold in response to investor requests.

What was the scale of the collective share sales by OpenAI employees in October 2025?

According to the WSJ report citing people familiar with the matter, in October 2025 more than 600 current and former employees collectively sold shares, cashing out a total of about $6.6 billion. Of that total, about 75 people each cashed out the $30 million cap.

Why is the share value disclosed by President Brockman approximately what amount?

According to media reports, in recent court testimony OpenAI President Greg Brockman said the value of the company equity he holds is about $30 billion.