OpenAI has become one of the most closely watched private companies in the world.
And it is not just because of ChatGPT.
Today, OpenAI sits at the center of several major investment themes at once: artificial intelligence, enterprise software, cloud computing, chips, data centers, automation, and the future of the internet itself.
In other words, investors are not just watching a chatbot company. They are watching what could become one of the most important AI platform businesses in the world.
That is why speculation around a possible OpenAI IPO has attracted so much attention.
But there is one obvious problem for regular investors:
OpenAI is still private.
You cannot simply open a brokerage account and buy OpenAI stock the way you can buy Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple, or Tesla.
And while OpenAI has reportedly been laying the groundwork for a possible IPO, there is still no confirmed IPO date, no public OpenAI ticker, and no guarantee the company will list on the timeline investors expect.
OpenAI could become one of the biggest IPOs in history. But for ordinary investors, getting meaningful exposure before it goes public is not simple.
In this article, I’ll walk through the six key things to know before trying to invest in OpenAI ahead of its IPO, including the risks, the limits, and the main ways to gain exposure before it goes public.
I’ll also share a new presentation by 40+ year investing veteran Dr. Mark Skousen, who believes another private-market giant, SpaceX, could become one of the biggest IPO opportunities in market history.
In the presentation, Skousen explains one way ordinary investors can get exposure to SpaceX through a regular brokerage account today.
Watch the SpaceX IPO Presentation ►(1) Is OpenAI Really Going Public?
OpenAI is not publicly traded yet, so there is still no OpenAI ticker you can buy through a normal brokerage account.
But the idea of an OpenAI IPO is no longer just casual speculation.
Reuters has reported that OpenAI is laying the groundwork for a potential IPO that could value the company at up to $1 trillion. According to that reporting, OpenAI could file with regulators as soon as the second half of 2026, with a possible listing in 2027.
OpenAI has also completed a major restructuring, with its for-profit arm becoming a Public Benefit Corporation. That matters because it gives OpenAI a more conventional corporate structure for raising capital, attracting investors, and potentially going public.
That does not mean the IPO is guaranteed to happen on a specific date. IPO plans can change, especially for a company as unusual as OpenAI. It has massive growth potential, but it also has huge infrastructure costs, complex ownership arrangements, and ongoing questions around profitability, regulation, and control.
So the realistic answer is:
OpenAI appears to be moving toward a possible IPO, but it is not public yet, and no final IPO date has been confirmed.
That is why investors are paying attention now. If OpenAI eventually goes public, it could become one of the biggest IPOs in market history. But until that happens, regular investors cannot simply buy OpenAI stock directly.
(2) What Could OpenAI Be Worth?
The numbers being discussed around OpenAI are enormous.
Reuters has reported that OpenAI is laying the groundwork for a potential IPO that could value the company at up to $1 trillion. OpenAI has also announced a recent funding round that valued the company at $852 billion, which shows how quickly investor expectations around the company have grown.
That kind of valuation may sound extreme. But investors are not just looking at OpenAI as the company behind ChatGPT.
They are looking at a company sitting at the center of several major themes at once:
- Artificial intelligence: ChatGPT, advanced AI models, automation, and new AI tools for consumers and businesses.
- Enterprise software: workplace productivity, coding, customer support, data analysis, and AI-powered workflows.
- Cloud and compute: the chips, data centers, energy, and infrastructure needed to train and run large AI models.
- Consumer AI: AI assistants, search-style tools, image generation, voice features, and other products that could become part of everyday internet use.
That does not mean OpenAI is guaranteed to be worth $1 trillion as a public company. Any valuation would depend on revenue growth, profitability, infrastructure costs, competition, regulation, investor demand, and market conditions.
But it does help explain why investors are paying attention.
If OpenAI goes public, the market may not treat it like a normal software company. It may treat it as one of the central companies in the artificial intelligence boom.
(3) When Could the OpenAI IPO Happen?
OpenAI has not announced a final IPO date yet, so any exact timeline should be treated as speculation.
That said, Reuters has reported that OpenAI has considered filing with regulators as soon as the second half of 2026, with a possible public listing in 2027. The same report noted that the timing could still change depending on business growth and market conditions.
That distinction matters.
A potential IPO filing is not the same as a confirmed IPO date. OpenAI would still need to move through the regulatory process, decide on timing, choose a listing structure, and convince public-market investors that its growth, costs, and long-term business model justify the valuation.
More recent analysis has also suggested the timeline may be shifting later, with Morningstar reporting that a realistic IPO window may now be mid-to-late 2027, partly because investors may want more clarity around OpenAI’s large infrastructure commitments and future free cash flow.
So the most realistic answer is:
The OpenAI IPO could happen in 2027, but no final date has been confirmed, and the timeline could still change.
That is why investors are watching the story now. If OpenAI does move forward with an IPO, the period before the official listing could attract enormous attention from retail investors, institutions, and anyone trying to get exposure to the AI boom before shares begin trading publicly.
(4) Can You Buy OpenAI Stock Before the IPO?
Not directly through a normal brokerage account.
OpenAI is still a private company, which means there is no public OpenAI stock ticker you can buy the way you would buy Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple, or Tesla.
But there are some indirect ways to get exposure.
For example, Microsoft has a major ownership stake in OpenAI, and some funds have reportedly added OpenAI exposure for retail investors. ARK’s ETFs, for example, have expanded the number of ways ordinary investors can get some indirect exposure to OpenAI before it goes public.
But buying shares in Microsoft or an ETF with some OpenAI exposure is not the same as buying OpenAI stock directly.
Microsoft is a massive business with many different revenue streams, and OpenAI is only one part of the overall company. Likewise, if you buy a fund with OpenAI exposure, you are usually buying a broader portfolio that may include many other public and private companies.
That does not mean these routes are bad. They may be useful for some investors.
But if your goal is specifically to invest in OpenAI before the IPO, the important question is not just whether you can get exposure. It’s how much OpenAI exposure you are actually getting.
(5) The Catch With OpenAI Pre-IPO Investing
The biggest catch is that most regular investors still cannot buy OpenAI shares directly before the IPO.
Some accredited investors, typically high-income or high-net-worth investors who meet certain regulatory requirements, may be able to access private OpenAI shares through secondary marketplaces or private funds.
But for most people, this is not a realistic or simple route.
These private-market opportunities can be limited, expensive, hard to access, and less liquid than normal public stocks. They may also come with high minimums, extra fees, transfer restrictions, uncertain valuations, and no guarantee you will be able to sell when you want to.
For regular investors, the options are usually more indirect. For example, some investors look at Microsoft, ETFs with reported OpenAI exposure, or private-market funds that have some connection to OpenAI. But these are usually broader investments with many other holdings.
So the real question becomes:
How much of my money is actually tied to OpenAI’s success?
That does not mean indirect OpenAI exposure has no value. For some investors, it may be a reasonable way to participate in the broader AI trend before OpenAI goes public.
But it is not the same as getting a clean, direct stake in OpenAI ahead of the IPO. And that is the main thing regular investors need to understand before chasing any “OpenAI pre-IPO” opportunity.
(6) Is There a Better Pre-IPO Opportunity Right Now?
OpenAI may be one of the most exciting private companies in the world, but for regular investors, the opportunity is still uncertain and difficult to act on.
OpenAI has not publicly filed for an IPO, and while reports suggest it may be moving in that direction, the timing is still unclear. Until then, most regular investors are limited to indirect routes, such as broader funds or public companies with some connection to OpenAI.
That is why another private-market giant may be worth watching right now:
SpaceX.
SpaceX is not just a rocket company. It now combines rockets, Starlink satellite internet, government and defense contracts, and xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, under one roof.
That makes SpaceX a much broader bet on global connectivity, AI infrastructure, and the future of AI data-center capacity.
In other words, SpaceX may be one of the few private companies with a story big enough to rival, or even surpass, OpenAI as an IPO opportunity.
And according to macroeconomic strategist Dr. Mark Skousen, ordinary investors can get exposure to SpaceX through a regular brokerage account before the company goes public.
To be clear, this is not the same as buying SpaceX shares directly. SpaceX is still private, and any investment tied to the company comes with risk.
But if you are interested in major pre-IPO opportunities, Skousen has released a new presentation breaking down the route he believes ordinary investors can use today.
You can watch the free SpaceX IPO research presentation here.
