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OpenAI faces a make-or-break year in 2026
One of the fastest-growing companies in history is in a perilous position.
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Mr Sam Altman’s hunger for cash is far from sated. In 2026 OpenAI will “almost certainly” raise another slug of capital, says a source close to the company.
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The Economist
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Sam Altman is like a juggler on a unicycle. Building all-knowing chatbots powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) models is too meek an ambition for OpenAI’s boss. To keep his audience rapt, Mr Altman has thrown ever more balls into the air. Custom chips? Of course. E-commerce? Why not. Business consulting? Too easy. A consumer device? You betcha.
At the same time, Mr Altman must keep a hand free to hold out his cap, for the show gets more expensive by the day. Leaked figures indicate that OpenAI expects to burn through US$17 billion (S$22 billion) of cash in 2026, up from US$9 billion in 2025, and that its losses will continue to pile up
