OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman announced on Wednesday at a Wall Street Journal tech conference that the artificial intelligence firm could be fully prepared for an initial public offering in 2027. The executive highlighted how the company has been steadily gaining ground within the enterprise market, a sector where rival Anthropic had already established successful inroads. When directly asked by the interviewer whether the firm might be ready to go public as early as next year, Brockman answered affirmatively.
Elaborating on their corporate timeline, Brockman noted that the leadership has maintained a clear stance throughout the year regarding going public only when the timing feels right. Expressing strong optimism about the underlying operations, he added that the enterprise has achieved remarkable progress this year, boosting his confidence in their ongoing mission to unprecedented levels.
Navigating Early Challenges in 2026
Greg Brockman detailed the shifting trajectory of OpenAI's enterprise journey across 2026, admitting that the first and second quarters proved to be quite rough. During this initial phase, the company was barely part of the conversation surrounding agentic coding, a domain where Anthropic's Claude Code had successfully captured market share.
Reflecting on those hurdles, he mentioned that while they possessed Codex at the time, industry discussions overlooked it entirely. Instead of getting discouraged, the team focused inward, kept their heads down, and concentrated on relentless execution.
Surge in Third-Quarter Revenue Growth
Momentum shifted dramatically by the third quarter, marked by a 70% quarterly expansion in annualized revenue. Brockman attributed this acceleration primarily to the enterprise side of the business doubling in size. He explained that this impressive growth was not an isolated quarterly spike but rather the cumulative result of strategic investments made up to that point.
Consequently, the majority of OpenAI's revenue now stems from enterprise operations, a stark contrast to previous periods when enterprise clients accounted for only about 30% of total revenue. He clarified that consumer revenue has not shrunk or plateaued, noting that it continues to grow alongside the massive takeoff of the enterprise segment.
Securing Major Enterprise Clients
To illustrate the caliber of clients currently signing deals, Brockman pointed to a recent high-profile partnership with J.P. Morgan Chase. He also reflected on broader lessons learned from selling into corporate environments, emphasizing that their primary objective is helping businesses identify critical milestones achievable through AI technology.
Contrasting their current market standing with past perceptions, Brockman recalled that just a year ago, prospective enterprise clients frequently doubted OpenAI's long-term commitment to business solutions, viewing them strictly as a consumer-focused entity. Concluding his remarks, he emphasized that the corporate landscape surrounding the firm looks remarkably different today.
