Employees of OpenAI will have the opportunity to cash out shares totaling $1.5 billion as part of an investment deal with SoftBank.

The Japanese multinational investment firm, SoftBank, is pouring $1.5 billion into OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company. This deal enables employees to profit by selling their shareholdings.

As a result of these corporate maneuvers, SoftBank will increase its stake in OpenAI, fulfilling a long-standing request from CEO Masayoshi Son.

OpenAI employees holding shares will have until December 24 to make their decisions. If they opt in, they could realize approximately $210 per share, based on the latest funding updates.

Both current and former employees are eligible to take part in this funding, provided they have met the necessary restrictions and held their shares for a minimum of two years.

Despite being viewed as a non-profit for a decade, OpenAI denies that this funding marks a shift towards a profit-driven business model.

SoftBank’s Investment in Emerging Technologies

As reported by CNBC on November 27, the $1.5 billion investment in OpenAI arises from SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2.

This capital will be specifically allocated to invest in emerging technologies and companies, including Nvidia, Uber, Exscientia, Glean, Perplexity, and Poolside. This investment strategy will broaden SoftBank’s reach into innovative fields such as artificial intelligence.

Launched in 2019, SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2 (SVF2) has secured investment commitments totaling up to $56 billion. By 2021, it had invested in over 250 companies, primarily focusing on new investments.

The current focus of the fund is to expedite the integration of artificial intelligence into market leaders and companies valued at over $1 billion, often referred to as unicorns.