OpenAI reports $50B annualized revenue and high London staff pay

OpenAI is reporting significant financial scale and high compensation costs as it competes for dominance in the artificial intelligence sector. Recent reports indicate the company’s annualized revenue was approaching $50 billion at the end of September 2026. This figure is notably lower than previous estimates of nearly $70 billion, a discrepancy attributed to different accounting methods regarding how sales through cloud partners are counted. While some estimates included gross revenue from partners to match competitors like Anthropic, the $50 billion figure is described by sources as net revenue.

In the United Kingdom, OpenAI is investing heavily in talent to support its global research efforts. Financial accounts for OpenAI UK Ltd show that staff in London received an average of approximately £2.3 million per person last year, comprising salaries and company shares. This high level of compensation, particularly for AI researchers, reflects an intense global talent war involving competitors such as Meta and Google. The London office serves as the company’s largest international research hub and includes government affairs, sales, and marketing functions.