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OpenAI CFO Rules Out Near‑Term IPO, Clarifies U.S. Loan‑Guarantee Stance

Sarah Friar says the company is not asking the U.S. to backstop its data‑center financing.

Overview

  • At The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, CFO Sarah Friar said an IPO is "not on the cards right now" and emphasized prioritizing scale over profit.
  • Following criticism of her remarks about government support, Friar later clarified that OpenAI is not seeking federal loan guarantees and said her use of "backstop" caused confusion.
  • Friar described building an "ecosystem" of financing that could include banks, private equity, and potentially governmental participants without requesting explicit guarantees.
  • Reports highlight very large, still‑reported infrastructure arrangements, including a $300 billion Oracle partnership and a $500 billion "Stargate" venture with Oracle and SoftBank.
  • Coverage notes OpenAI’s projected revenues in the tens of billions remain far below the capital required for its compute buildout, raising questions about funding structure and lender protections.