OpenAI is in early discussions to conduct a secondary share sale that could value the artificial-intelligence company at about $500 billion, according to people familiar with the talks. The deal would let current and former employees cash out several billion dollars of stock. The prospective valuation marks a sharp rise from the $300 billion level set in a March funding round that is still being completed. Existing investors, including Thrive Capital, have approached OpenAI about purchasing the employee shares, the people said. A half-trillion-dollar valuation would make the Microsoft-backed maker of ChatGPT the world’s most valuable private technology company, overtaking Elon Musk’s SpaceX at roughly $400 billion. The surge underscores intense competition for AI talent and OpenAI’s rapid expansion: the firm has roughly 700 million weekly active users and has doubled its annualised revenue to about $12 billion, with a goal of reaching $20 billion by year-end. The secondary sale would precede a broader corporate restructuring that could eventually lead to an initial public offering. Separately, OpenAI is seeking as much as $40 billion in primary capital in a SoftBank-led round at the earlier $300 billion valuation, suggesting investors may be willing to pay a significant premium in the employee transaction.