I recently came across a comparison graphic that left me silent for a few seconds.
OpenAI's latest valuation stands at $852 billion.
On the right, six companies are listed: McDonald's, Disney, Boeing, Uber, Comcast, and Ford.
Together, these six come to $848 billion.
That’s $40 billion less than OpenAI.
Let’s take a moment to think about this list:
McDonald's, with 40,000 locations worldwide, rakes in over $25 billion a year.
Disney, a century-old brand, encompasses theme parks, streaming, Marvel, and Star Wars.
Boeing manufactures half the world’s airplanes.
Uber has transformed global transportation.
Comcast is the largest cable and broadband provider in the U.S.
Ford has been in the auto industry for over 120 years.
These six companies span across food, entertainment, aviation, transportation, communications, and manufacturing, employing millions and serving billions of users worldwide.
Then there's OpenAI—an AI company that’s less than a decade old, not yet publicly traded, and just transitioned from a nonprofit—valued higher than all of them combined.
Honestly, this graphic isn’t just about how impressive OpenAI is.
It highlights how the market's valuation of AI has completely detached from traditional metrics.
These legacy companies have revenue, profits, assets, and competitive advantages. Yet, the combined market value they receive is less than what a “future possibility” is deemed worth.
So, are we overestimating AI or underestimating traditional industries?
To be frank, I don’t have the answer.
But one thing is clear: when a company’s valuation logic is based not on “how much it makes today” but on “what it might change in the future,” the stakes have gone beyond business itself.
The market is either witnessing the birth of a new species or replaying an old story.
Regardless of the outcome, this graphic alone speaks volumes about the era we’re living in.
gptproto.com
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