SoftBank in talks to invest several hundred million in OpenAI

A fresh report of SoftBank talks adds to one of the largest corporate bets on artificial intelligence SoftBank is discussing a new investment in OpenAI worth several hundred million dollars, according to The New York Times. The Times report describes talks, not a signed deal. No final amount, valuation, or closing date has been confirmed. What makes the report notable is the context around it. SoftBank’s financial ties to OpenAI already run into the tens of billions. SoftBank’s cumulative investment in OpenAI reached $64.6 billion as of October 1, 2026. That works out to approximately a 13% stake in the ChatGPT maker. The build-up came in stages. SoftBank completed an initial commitment of $41 billion by December 31, 2025, which gave it an ~11% stake held through SoftBank Vision Fund 2. A follow-on $30 billion came next. It was split into three equal tranches of $10 billion each, delivered in April, July, and October 2026. How SoftBank paid for it The company took out a $40 billion bridge loan, which has since been repaid. SoftBank also sold Nvidia shares, raising $5.8 billion. Then came the bond market. SoftBank issued $11.1 billion in high-yield bonds, the largest issuance of its...