OpenAI reports third-quarter revenue of $10 billion

Bloomberg reported that third-quarter revenue reached $10 billion for the first time and rose nearly 50% from the prior quarter.[2] The quarter covered the three months ending in September.[2] TechCrunch reported that second-quarter sales were $6.7 billion, while Techmeme said second-quarter growth was 17%.[3][4] Bloomberg attributed the increase to strong demand for OpenAI’s latest AI software.[2] The revenue figure was almost three times the level in the same quarter a year earlier, Bloomberg reported.[2]

TechCrunch reported that OpenAI’s adjusted operating margin improved from minus 150% in the second quarter to minus 109% in the third.[3] That is progress on the reported margin measure, but it does not mean OpenAI was profitable: The Wall Street Journal said the company continued to report heavy operating losses.[1] The figures offer professionals two distinct signals to track—revenue growth and operating performance—rather than a single measure of financial health.[2][3][1]

The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI’s results showed mixed progress in its effort to catch up with Anthropic.[1] It reported Anthropic’s third-quarter revenue at $17 billion and its operating loss at $567 million.[1] TechCrunch reported that Bloomberg put OpenAI’s annual revenue run rate at $50 billion, while Anthropic’s reached $81 billion at the end of October.[3] Those annualized figures are not directly equivalent: TechCrunch noted that the companies calculate them differently, including how they count some cloud-partner sales.[3]

Bloomberg reported that OpenAI shared the financial details with investors during a Tuesday call.[2] OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar and product leader Thibault Sottiaux spoke on the call, Bloomberg reported.[2] The results also sit alongside OpenAI’s reported focus on enterprise products and AI agents, as well as tighter pricing, discounts and improving models.[3] TechCrunch reported that OpenAI says it has more than one billion users.[3] The evidence does not specify how much each factor contributed to revenue.