Who Owns ChatGPT?

By Jeremy Bowman – Updated Nov 26, 2025 at 3:23 PM EST | Fact-checked by Parker Hicks

Key Points

OpenAI, known for AI products like ChatGPT, is structured as a hybrid profit organization.
Microsoft, having invested $13 billion, is a significant backer but does not own OpenAI.
Investors can indirectly engage with OpenAI by investing in Microsoft, leveraging their partnership.
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If you're wondering who owns ChatGPT, you're in the right place. The transformative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot has launched a new era of technology. Big tech companies, start-ups, and others are racing to harness the power of generative AI, first unveiled by ChatGPT.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the use of machines to mimic human intelligence.

ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, an organization founded with the mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. It was first made available to the public in November 2022.

A graphic depicting someone using ChatGPT. — Image source: Getty Images.

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Profit

The amount of money a business retains from sales after subtracting expenses, taxes, and other costs involved in operation.

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2. Reid Hoffman

Another major investor in OpenAI is Reid Hoffman. The LinkedIn co-founder was one of several investors who committed to investing a combined $1 billion in the company when it was founded.

Hoffman served on the board of directors until November 2023, when he stepped down to avoid an appearance of conflict. He also co-founded Inflection AI, although the start-up company later folded.

3. Peter Thiel

Like Hoffman, Peter Thiel was one of an early group of Silicon Valley bigwigs to pledge to invest a combined $1 billion in OpenAI. Thiel has long been something of a mentor for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Thiel has had a prolific career in Silicon Valley as a co-founder of PayPal (PYPL -0.80%) and current chair of Palantir (NYSE:PLTR).

4. Elon Musk

Tesla (TSLA -3.27%) CEO Elon Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI and a key source of funding early in the company's history. OpenAI says Musk invested close to $45 million of his own money in OpenAI.

Musk left the company in 2018 over a dispute that arose when the company added a for-profit component. Musk suggested taking a majority equity stake in the company and attaching it to Tesla, but the board balked at the idea. It's unclear whether Musk still owns a stake in OpenAI, but he played a pivotal role in OpenAI's early days. For that, he's worth including in the conversation.

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Equity

Equity, generally speaking, is the value of what you own.

5. YCombinator

YCombinator, the Silicon Valley incubator, was the first institutional investor to invest in OpenAI, doing so in 2016, according to Crunchbase. Before running OpenAI, Altman was the CEO of YCombinator.

6. Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures was another of the first VC firms to invest in OpenAI, putting in $50 million in 2019 and taking a 5% stake. Principal Vinod Khosla said there was no good way to do due diligence on the company, but he had confidence that AI would be a significant technology. He's been proven right. The stake is now worth more than $1 billion.

7. Tiger Global

VC firm Tiger Global first invested in OpenAI in 2021 in a funding round with several other VC firms. Tiger Global was also one of several firms to push back against OpenAI when the board fired Sam Altman for a few days, only to bring him back after an employee and investor uproar.

8. Andreessen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz, one of the best-known Silicon Valley VC firms, participated in OpenAI's funding round in April 2023. However, co-founder Marc Andreessen criticized OpenAI's defense capabilities, saying its security protocol was "Swiss cheese." Andreessen Horowitz is also in the process of raising $6 billion to invest in AI, showing it's betting big on the new technology.

9. Sequoia Capital

Sequoia first invested in OpenAI in 2021 and is also focused on AI, with 60% of its investments in AI companies in 2023, up 15% from 2022. It has invested in a number of other AI companies, like Collaborative Robotics.

10. Thrive Capital

VC firm Thrive Capital led the September 2024 $6.6 billion investment round with a $1.3 billion investment of its own. Thrive also has the option to invest as much as $1 billion in OpenAI at the same valuation. Founded by Joshua Kushner, Thrive is known for successful early-stage investments in tech companies like Meta Platforms' (META -0.69%) Instagram, Spotify (SPOT -0.54%), and Stripe.

11. Nvidia

According to reports, Nvidia invested around $100 million in OpenAI's latest funding round. It's not a surprise that the chip giant would invest in OpenAI, as the success of each company is very much connected.

Nvidia's stock soared shortly after the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which set off a boom in generative AI. Looking ahead, Nvidia's success makes OpenAI's success more likely, and OpenAI's success makes Nvidia's success more likely.

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An infographic defining what ChatGPT is and explaining how it works. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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If you are a high-net-worth individual, you may be able to invest directly in OpenAI through a VC firm. However, you will need to be an accredited investor. Due to its unique corporate structure, OpenAI is unlikely to go public anytime soon. Yet, the VC firms that have invested in it will eventually want an exit, either through an acquisition or an initial public offering (IPO).

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About the Author

Jeremy Bowman has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst, covering technology, consumer goods, and macroeconomic trends since 2011. Before The Motley Fool, Jeremy was a newspaper reporter, restaurant manager, and English teacher abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado College and a master’s degree in business administration from American University. One of his Motley Fool headlines was briefly featured on Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

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Jeremy Bowman has positions in Arm Holdings, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, PayPal, Pfizer, Salesforce, Spotify Technology, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends BlackRock and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, long January 2027 $42.50 calls on PayPal, short December 2025 $75 calls on PayPal, and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.