Docs: audited financial figures show OpenAI spent $34B in 2025, up 172% YoY, including $19B on research and development and nearly $6B on sales and marketing
Today, I can exclusively report, based on audited financial documents viewed by this publication that have been independently verified …
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OpenAI Burned Through $34B in 2025, Spending Up 172%
Audited financials reveal OpenAI's staggering spend: $19B on R&D and nearly $6B on sales and marketing.
OpenAI's 2025 spending was absolutely massive. Audited financial documents, reported exclusively by Ed Zitron, show the AI giant blew through $34 billion in total expenditures — a 172% increase year over year.
The biggest chunk? Research and development, clocking in at $19 billion. That's more than half the total spend devoted to building and improving AI systems.
Sales and marketing wasn't cheap either. OpenAI dropped nearly $6 billion trying to get its products in front of customers and keep them there. That's a serious go-to-market budget by any standard.
The numbers paint a clear picture: OpenAI is in full-throttle growth mode, spending at a pace that dwarfs most tech companies. Whether the revenue side can keep up with this burn rate remains the central question hanging over the company's financial future.