The valuation of ChatGPT developer OpenAI soared to a chart-topping $500 billion in a deal for employees to sell a limited number of shares, financial media reported Thursday.

If confirmed, OpenAI workers’ sale of a reported $6.6 billion in shares to investors would make the company the world’s most valuable startup, overtaking Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX — valued at around $400 billion, according to Bloomberg.

A gaggle of investors snapping up the shares included Japanese investment giant SoftBank, the Financial Times and Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the transaction.

OpenAI’s French spokespeople declined to comment on the reports when contacted by AFP, while its US press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Softbank declined to comment o

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