The ChatGPT gold rush continues: OpenAI eyes $100 billion in fresh capital

OpenAI is nearing the close of a landmark funding round expected to exceed $100 billion, which would set a new record for startup financing. Bloomberg reports that the deal could push OpenAI’s total valuation beyond $850 billion, up from an earlier estimate of $830 billion. The company’s pre-money valuation stands at $730 billion. The first …

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OpenAI removes “safely” from mission statement as it transitions to for-profit structure

OpenAI has removed the word “safely” from its mission statement, a change documented in its 2024 tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service. The deletion coincides with the company’s transformation from a nonprofit organization into a for-profit business. The original mission statement from 2022 and 2023 read: “to build general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) that safely …

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OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI as agent project moves to foundation

Peter Steinberger, creator of the open-source AI agent framework OpenClaw, joins OpenAI to work on bringing AI agents to mainstream users. OpenClaw will transition to an independent foundation while OpenAI sponsors the project. Steinberger built OpenClaw as a personal project that unexpectedly gained massive adoption. The framework attracted 196,000 GitHub stars and 2 million weekly …

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ChatGPT deep research adds site-specific search and mid-task editing

OpenAI has released updates to deep research in ChatGPT, introducing features that give users more control over how the AI conducts investigations and compiles reports. The tool now allows users to focus research on specific websites and a broader range of connected applications as trusted sources. According to OpenAI, this helps produce more accurate and …

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OpenAI abandons “io” for mystery AI gadget launching in 2027

OpenAI will not use the name “io” for its upcoming AI hardware devices, according to a court filing in a trademark infringement lawsuit. The company now expects its first device to ship no earlier than late February 2027. Maxwell Zeff reports for Wired that the revelation came through a motion filed by OpenAI vice president …

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OpenAI introduces advertising in ChatGPT for free and „Go“ users

OpenAI has begun testing advertisements in ChatGPT for users in the United States. The company displays ads to adult users on the free and Go subscription tiers, while Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscribers will not see them. According to OpenAI, ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT provides. The company states that it …

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OpenAI releases GPT-5.3-Codex with 25% speed boost and expanded capabilities

OpenAI has launched GPT-5.3-Codex, a coding model that the company describes as its most capable agentic coding tool to date. The model runs 25% faster than its predecessor and combines advanced coding performance with reasoning capabilities in a single system. According to OpenAI, GPT-5.3-Codex marks a significant milestone as the first model that helped create …

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OpenAI and Anthropic race to be first major AI startup to go public

OpenAI is holding informal discussions with Wall Street banks about a potential initial public offering, positioning itself in a race against rival Anthropic to become the first major generative AI company to tap public markets. The ChatGPT maker has expanded its finance team with key hires including chief accounting officer Ajmere Dale and corporate business …

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OpenAI shifts focus to ChatGPT as senior researchers depart

OpenAI is redirecting resources away from experimental research to focus on improving ChatGPT, prompting several senior staff members to leave the company. The shift reflects mounting competitive pressure from Google and Anthropic as the $500 billion company evolves from research lab into commercial enterprise. Cristina Criddle reports for the Financial Times that vice-president of research …

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ChatGPT’s market share drops as Google and Grok gain ground

ChatGPT’s commanding lead in the chatbot market is shrinking as competitors gain momentum. OpenAI’s flagship product saw its market share among daily U.S. mobile app users fall from 69.1% to 45.3% between January 2025 and January 2026. Alex Kantrowitz reports for Big Technology, citing data from mobile insights firm Apptopia. During the same period, Google’s …

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