An upcoming sale of shares in OpenAI is set to test how much the past week’s leadership chaos has cost the company and its backers, though big investors are bullish about securing a high valuation.
The employee stock sale, which had been planned before the sacking last week of chief executive Sam Altman and expected to value the company at $86bn, will continue as planned, according to two investors with direct knowledge of the matter.
It will be the first test of investor appetite in OpenAI following a battle between Altman and the board that brought to light issues at the company, such as complex governance arrangements in which a not-for-profit board oversees a for-profit company.