markets

Claire Yubin Oh10/30/25

OpenAI has started work on an IPO that could value the company at $1 trillion

OpenAI is preparing for an initial public offering that could value the company as high as $1 trillion.

Citing three people familiar with the matter, Reuters reports that the ChatGPT maker is considering filing with regulators as soon as the second half of 2026, despite CFO Sarah Friar reportedly having previously told associates that the company was aiming for the year after.

The news comes just two days after the company completed its restructuring into a nonprofit that has a controlling equity stake in its for-profit business.

While the talks are obviously still in very preliminary stages, OpenAI is currently considering raising $60 billion, or likely more through the process, per Reuters’ sources — much-needed capital to satisfy the flurry of deals the company has signed with chipmakers and data center providers.

Having pledged to spend an eye-watering $1 trillion on advancing its AI models and products, but with a revenue run rate that’s currently closer to $12 billion, maybe OpenAI really is finding that there is a limit to what it can raise in the private markets.

OpenAI Anthropic revenue — Sherwood News

OpenAI’s annual revenue run rate is reportedly expected to reach ~$20 billion by the end of the year.

Exclusive: OpenAI lays groundwork for juggernaut IPO at up to $1 trillion valuation

Exclusive: OpenAI lays groundwork for juggernaut IPO at up to $1 trillion valuation

The news comes just two days after the company completed its restructuring into a nonprofit that has a controlling equity stake in its for-profit business.

While the talks are obviously still in very preliminary stages, OpenAI is currently considering raising $60 billion, or likely more through the process, per Reuters’ sources — much-needed capital to satisfy the flurry of deals the company has signed with chipmakers and data center providers.

Having pledged to spend an eye-watering $1 trillion on advancing its AI models and products, but with a revenue run rate that’s currently closer to $12 billion, maybe OpenAI really is finding that there is a limit to what it can raise in the private markets.

OpenAI Anthropic revenue — Sherwood News

OpenAI’s annual revenue run rate is reportedly expected to reach ~$20 billion by the end of the year.

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AI “bottleneck” stocks are the big winners halfway through a tumultuous week

Memory stocks and chip machinery companies are bouncing Wednesday, following a strong Oracle earnings report that bolstered confidence in the durability of the AI data center build-out.

In fact, Sandisk is the top performer of the S&P 500 so far this week, rising more than 21% from Friday’s close, as of shortly after 2 p.m. ET. Memory chip maker Micron is second in line, up more than 13% in weekly gains, and hard disk drive maker Western Digital is also getting a lift.

Other big winners so far this week are some of the so-called semicap shares — makers of the ultraprecise machines that turn silicon into actual semiconductors — with Lam Research and KLA Corp both racking up gains of about 10% on the week. Applied Materials is up about 8% this week.

Thematically speaking, both memory stocks like Sandisk and Micron as well as semicap shares like KLA have been part of the “buy the bottleneck” trade, in which investors buy companies they believe sit at key pinch points in the AI supply chain and therefore have pretty tremendous pricing power. Through that lens, the stocks’ bounce might reflect some additional excitement about the durability of the data center boom after Oracle’s results, which included a larger-than-expected capex number as well as sales guidances that was higher than Wall Street was forecasting.

But the bounce also may be the less interesting market phenomenon of mean reversion rearing its head, as these stocks were also some of the most beaten down in the S&P 500 last week, when Sandisk lost 17% and Lam lost about 15%, for example. So, some snapback may merely be a market reflex.

Oracle jumps after Q3 results exceed expectations, boost to sales guidance

Oracle jumps after Q3 results exceed expectations, boost to sales guidance

Other big winners so far this week are some of the so-called semicap shares — makers of the ultraprecise machines that turn silicon into actual semiconductors — with Lam Research and KLA Corp both racking up gains of about 10% on the week. Applied Materials is up about 8% this week.

Thematically speaking, both memory stocks like Sandisk and Micron as well as semicap shares like KLA have been part of the “buy the bottleneck” trade, in which investors buy companies they believe sit at key pinch points in the AI supply chain and therefore have pretty tremendous pricing power. Through that lens, the stocks’ bounce might reflect some additional excitement about the durability of the data center boom after Oracle’s results, which included a larger-than-expected capex number as well as sales guidances that was higher than Wall Street was forecasting.

But the bounce also may be the less interesting market phenomenon of mean reversion rearing its head, as these stocks were also some of the most beaten down in the S&P 500 last week, when Sandisk lost 17% and Lam lost about 15%, for example. So, some snapback may merely be a market reflex.

markets

Max Knoblauch12h

Papa John’s spikes following report of a $47-per-share take-private offer from Qatari investment fund Irth Capital

A few weeks after announcing it would close 300 stores by the end of next year, Papa John’s is drawing fresh take-private interest from Irth Capital, an investment fund backed by a member of the Qatari royal family.

Papa John’s shares were up 19% on Wednesday afternoon, on pace for their best day since February 2025.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Irth is offering $47 per share for PZZA, valuing the company at about $1.5 billion. The fund currently holds a roughly 10% stake in Papa John’s, per the report.

Irth has tried to take Papa John’s private before, offering $60 per share in a joint bid with Apollo Global in June of last year. In October, Apollo Global again offered to take the company private at $64 per share. That offer was later withdrawn.

Broadly, the pizza category is being increasingly dominated by Domino’s, which opened 700 stores globally last year and has a market cap 9x greater than Irth’s latest reported offer for Papa John’s.

Exclusive | Papa John’s Draws Fresh Takeover Interest

Exclusive | Papa John’s Draws Fresh Takeover Interest

According to The Wall Street Journal, Irth is offering $47 per share for PZZA, valuing the company at about $1.5 billion. The fund currently holds a roughly 10% stake in Papa John’s, per the report.

Irth has tried to take Papa John’s private before, offering $60 per share in a joint bid with Apollo Global in June of last year. In October, Apollo Global again offered to take the company private at $64 per share. That offer was later withdrawn.

Broadly, the pizza category is being increasingly dominated by Domino’s, which opened 700 stores globally last year and has a market cap 9x greater than Irth’s latest reported offer for Papa John’s.

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