OpenAI unveils $130B foundation and $25 billion plan to shape the future of AI
OpenAI, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, has completed its recapitalisation, restructuring its governance and ownership to align commercial growth with public-benefit obligations.
The announcement was shared by Debbie Mesloh of OpenAI Global Affairs in a LinkedIn post describing the milestone as one that “simplifies our structure and strengthens the mission-driven governance that has anchored us since our founding as a nonprofit in 2015.”
The restructure establishes the OpenAI Foundation, which now holds equity valued at about $130 billion and retains controlling ownership of OpenAI’s operations. The company itself is now legally designated as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), formalizing its responsibility to balance profit with public-interest outcomes.
Mesloh wrote, “The nonprofit — now the OpenAI Foundation — remains firmly in control of OpenAI’s business. The Foundation holds equity currently valued at ~$130B, with a clear path to additional resources as the company grows.”
Microsoft’s expanded partnership and stake
The recapitalisation also formalizes OpenAI’s renewed partnership with Microsoft, its largest commercial partner and primary cloud provider. According to filings confirmed by Reuters and Bloomberg, Microsoft now holds a 27 percent stake in the new PBC structure, following an updated investment agreement that maintains the Foundation’s control while allowing Microsoft to benefit from the company’s long-term growth.
The new arrangement expands Microsoft’s exclusive rights to integrate OpenAI models across its Azure cloud and Copilot product ecosystem, while ensuring the Foundation retains decision-making authority over governance, safety, and mission alignment.
Regulators in Delaware and California approved the recapitalisation after nearly a year of review. The Delaware Attorney General’s office issued a “statement of no objection” on the condition that nonprofit oversight remains in place, preserving OpenAI’s original mission safeguards.
$25B fund for global health and AI safety
Under the new structure, the OpenAI Foundation will launch $25 billion in philanthropic commitments. These will target two main areas: “Accelerating health breakthroughs” — through building responsibly developed frontier health datasets and funding diagnostic research — and “Advancing AI resilience,” which will support “practical, real-world defenses to ensure AI maximizes benefits and mitigates risks.”
The Foundation’s investments follow the company’s existing $50 million People-First AI Fund and the recommendations of the Nonprofit Commission, reflecting what Mesloh called “stronger fuel and stronger guardrails” for future innovation.
Balancing commercial growth and public mission
The recapitalisation positions OpenAI’s nonprofit arm as the long-term steward of the organization’s governance and equity growth. The PBC structure allows the commercial business to attract further investment while the Foundation channels resources into social-impact areas.
Mesloh added, “Our north star remains unchanged: a future where AGI expands opportunity, improves lives, and delivers broad, shared progress across society. This next chapter gives us both stronger fuel and stronger guardrails — and we’re committed to leading with transparency, community partnership, and global responsibility as we move forward.”
