Discover who really owns ChatGPT and OpenAI in 2026. From Microsoft's $135B stake to the nonprofit Foundation's control, explore the complete ownership breakdown, Sam Altman's equity mystery, and what it means for AI's future.
Introduction: The Billion-Dollar Question Behind the World’s Most Famous AI
Every day, over 700 million people interact with ChatGPT. They ask it questions, draft emails, debug code, brainstorm ideas, and increasingly rely on it for tasks that once required human expertise. But here’s something most of them don’t know: the ownership structure behind ChatGPT is one of the most unusual and controversial arrangements in tech history.
Unlike Facebook, which Mark Zuckerberg famously controls, or Amazon, where Jeff Bezos built his fortune, ChatGPT’s parent company OpenAI operates under a governance model that has sparked lawsuits, board coups, regulatory scrutiny, and endless debate about whether billion-dollar AI companies can truly serve humanity while satisfying investors.
The question “who owns ChatGPT?” doesn’t have a simple answer. The company began as a nonprofit promising to develop artificial general intelligence for the benefit of all humanity. It evolved into a hybrid “capped-profit” entity. And in 2025, it completed a transformation into a full-fledged for-profit Public Benefit Corporation valued at over $850 billion—making it the most valuable private company in the world.
This article breaks down exactly who owns OpenAI in 2026, how that ownership structure came to be, what it means for the future of AI, and why the man running the company appears to own zero equity in it.
Understanding OpenAI’s Current Ownership Structure (2026)
The modern OpenAI exists as two interconnected entities following a major restructuring completed in October 2025. This transformation fundamentally changed who owns what and how power flows through the organization.
The Two-Entity Framework
OpenAI Foundation (The Nonprofit)
The OpenAI Foundation is the nonprofit organization that originated in 2015. Despite owning only 26% of the equity in the for-profit business, the Foundation retains ultimate governance control. It appoints every member of the for-profit company’s board of directors and can remove them at any time. This means that regardless of how much money Microsoft or other investors pour in, the Foundation maintains mission control.
The Foundation’s equity stake is currently valued at approximately $130 billion, making it one of the best-funded philanthropic organizations in history. The Foundation has committed $25 billion to healthcare research and AI resilience initiatives.
OpenAI Group PBC (The For-Profit Company)
OpenAI Group PBC is the Public Benefit Corporation that builds ChatGPT, GPT-4, DALL-E, and other AI products. Unlike traditional corporations that exist solely to maximize shareholder value, a PBC must balance profit with broader stakeholder interests and mission advancement. Other AI companies like Anthropic and xAI use similar structures.
The PBC operates the actual business: it employs engineers, trains AI models, signs enterprise contracts, generates revenue (over $12 billion annualized as of 2026), and burns through massive amounts of capital on compute infrastructure.
The Equity Breakdown: Who Owns What
Based on the most recent data following OpenAI’s April 2026 funding round at an $852 billion post-money valuation, here’s how ownership breaks down:
| Shareholder | Ownership Percentage | Approximate Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | 27% | $230+ billion | Largest external shareholder, invested $13B+ |
| OpenAI Foundation | 26% | $221 billion | Controls all board appointments |
| Current & Former Employees | 25% | $213 billion | Includes equity grants, unusual to include former employees |
| SoftBank | 11.75% | $100+ billion | Largest single investment ($64.6B committed) |
| Other 2025-2026 Investors | 10.25% | $87+ billion | Amazon, Nvidia, Thrive, Tiger Global, others |
This structure represents a dramatic departure from OpenAI’s original nonprofit status and its subsequent “capped-profit” hybrid model.
Microsoft: The Tech Giant’s $13 Billion Gamble
Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI stands as one of the most consequential partnerships in tech history. What began as a $1 billion investment in 2019 has transformed into a stake worth over $230 billion—a roughly 17.6x return in just seven years.
The Evolution of Microsoft’s Investment
Microsoft didn’t just write checks. The partnership involved:
- Direct cash investments: Approximately $13 billion deployed between 2019 and 2026
- Azure cloud credits: Massive compute resources for training AI models
- Infrastructure commitments: OpenAI committed to purchasing $250 billion worth of Azure services through the 2030s
- Product integration: GPT models power Microsoft Copilot across Office, Azure, GitHub, and Dynamics 365
The arrangement initially gave Microsoft rights to 49% of OpenAI’s profits from its capped-profit subsidiary. However, the October 2025 restructuring converted this into a clean 27% equity stake with no profit caps—a significant upgrade for Microsoft.
What Microsoft Gets (and Doesn’t Get)
Microsoft secured exclusive licensing rights to OpenAI’s models through 2032, including models developed after artificial general intelligence (AGI) is achieved. This is crucial: when OpenAI declares it has reached AGI (validated by an independent expert panel), Microsoft’s revenue-sharing agreement with OpenAI expires—but its model licensing rights continue.
However, Microsoft doesn’t control OpenAI. The Foundation appoints the board, not Microsoft. The tech giant holds an observer seat on the board but has no voting power. When Sam Altman was briefly ousted in November 2023, Microsoft couldn’t prevent it. When he was reinstated five days later after near-unanimous staff rebellion, Microsoft benefited—but didn’t orchestrate it.
Notably, OpenAI’s consumer hardware projects are explicitly excluded from Microsoft’s licensing rights, suggesting OpenAI wants freedom to compete in physical AI devices.
The OpenAI Foundation: Small Stake, Total Control
Here’s where OpenAI’s structure gets fascinating: the nonprofit Foundation owns just 26% of the equity but controls 100% of board appointments. This means the Foundation can fire anyone, change strategy, or even refuse lucrative deals that conflict with its mission—regardless of what the majority shareholders want.
How the Foundation Maintains Control
The PBC’s bylaws explicitly state that the Foundation appoints all board members and can remove them at will. As of April 2026, all but one board member serves on both the Foundation board and the PBC board. Critics argue this overlap undermines the separation of mission from profit, but OpenAI maintains it ensures alignment.
The Foundation’s governance power includes:
- Appointing and removing the CEO
- Approving major strategic decisions
- Determining when AGI has been achieved (with expert validation)
- Deciding whether to release certain AI capabilities publicly
- Blocking an IPO if it conflicts with the mission
This structure originated from OpenAI’s founding principle: that AGI development should never be controlled by a single profit-seeking entity or individual. Whether it successfully achieves this goal remains hotly debated.
The Foundation’s Growing War Chest
With its equity stake valued at $130+ billion (and potentially worth much more if OpenAI eventually goes public), the Foundation has become one of the wealthiest nonprofits ever created. It has announced an initial $25 billion commitment focusing on:
- Healthcare and disease research: Using AI to accelerate drug discovery and medical diagnostics
- AI resilience: Ensuring AI systems remain safe and aligned as they become more powerful
The Foundation also receives additional equity if OpenAI’s valuation reaches certain milestones, a feature designed to ensure the nonprofit benefits proportionally from the for-profit’s success.
Sam Altman: The CEO Who Owns Nothing
Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of OpenAI’s ownership is Sam Altman’s equity position—or lack thereof. As CEO of an $850+ billion company, conventional wisdom says he should own billions in equity. Instead, leaked cap tables from early 2026 show his ownership as “None/Pending.”
Why Doesn’t Altman Own Equity?
Altman himself has offered several explanations over the years:
The Idealistic Explanation: Altman has repeatedly stated that leading OpenAI is his “childhood dream job” and that he’s motivated by being “in the room with the smartest researchers in the world” on “this crazy adventure” toward AGI. He claims financial incentives would compromise his ability to make mission-focused decisions.
The Structural Explanation: When OpenAI was a nonprofit (2015-2019), Altman couldn’t own equity without violating nonprofit regulations requiring a majority disinterested board. By the time OpenAI created its for-profit subsidiary in 2019, Altman had publicly committed to not taking equity.
The Optics Explanation: Sources familiar with the 2024-2025 restructuring discussions say Altman actively pushed back against investor pressure to grant him equity. He reportedly told staff that if investors “don’t understand the intrinsic motivation of getting to helpful AGI faster, they shouldn’t be investing.”
The $10 Billion Question Mark
Reports from late 2024 suggested OpenAI’s board was considering granting Altman a 7% stake, potentially worth $10+ billion at current valuations. Both Altman and board chairman Bret Taylor denied any specific discussions or decisions.
The leaked April 2026 cap table shows Altman with “None/Pending”—raising questions about whether an equity grant is being finalized or whether he’ll continue running the world’s most valuable private company for his $76,001 annual salary plus whatever wealth he’s accumulated through other investments.
For context, Altman’s estimated net worth of $3.3 billion comes from early investments in companies like Stripe, Reddit, Airbnb, and his involvement with Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency project using iris-scanning for identity verification.
The Historical Journey: From Nonprofit to $850B Powerhouse
Understanding who owns OpenAI today requires understanding how it got here. The transformation from nonprofit research lab to near-trillion-dollar company happened in distinct phases.
2015: The Nonprofit Beginning
OpenAI was founded in December 2015 by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and others. The founding announcement declared $1 billion in committed funding from a roster of Silicon Valley luminaries:
- Sam Altman (then president of Y Combinator)
- Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX)
- Greg Brockman (former CTO of Stripe)
- Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder)
- Peter Thiel (PayPal co-founder)
- Amazon Web Services
- Infosys
However, the actual capital collected by 2019 was only about $130 million—far short of the pledged $1 billion. Elon Musk’s actual contribution was less than $45 million before he left the board in 2018.
The mission was explicit: develop artificial general intelligence in a way that benefits all humanity, “unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.” The organization would publish its research openly, collaborate freely, and never prioritize profit over safety.
2018-2019: The Crisis That Changed Everything
By 2017, OpenAI’s leadership confronted an uncomfortable reality: the computational resources needed to train cutting-edge AI models were doubling every 3.4 months. Nonprofit donations couldn’t possibly fund the infrastructure required. Meanwhile, Google’s DeepMind and other well-funded competitors were pulling ahead.
Internal documents from this period show intense debate about whether staying nonprofit meant accepting permanent second-tier status. Elon Musk suggested OpenAI should merge with Tesla to access its resources, proposing that Tesla become OpenAI’s “cash cow.” When leadership rejected this (fearing it would give Musk too much control), Musk left the board in early 2018, telling staff OpenAI’s probability of success was “zero.”
In December 2018, Musk sent a prescient email: “Even raising several hundred million won’t be enough. This needs billions per year immediately or forget it.”
2019: The Capped-Profit Compromise
In March 2019, OpenAI created OpenAI LP, a “capped-profit” limited partnership. This innovative structure allowed investors to earn returns, but those returns were capped at 100x their investment. Any profits beyond the cap would flow back to the nonprofit mission.
This structure was designed to attract capital while maintaining mission alignment. The nonprofit board retained ultimate control. Microsoft made its first $1 billion investment under this model.
The capped-profit structure proved complicated in practice. Investors had to understand uncertain return caps, AGI clauses that could terminate profit-sharing, and nonprofit governance that could overrule business decisions. But it worked well enough to fund GPT-3, DALL-E, and eventually ChatGPT.
2022-2023: ChatGPT Changes Everything
When OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November 2022, it became the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Within two months, it had 100 million users. Microsoft quickly announced a $10 billion investment and began integrating GPT into its products.
The sudden commercial success created tension. The nonprofit board consisted of mission-focused researchers and ethicists. The for-profit business was now generating billions in revenue and fielding takeover offers. Microsoft wanted aggressive product development. AI safety researchers worried about moving too fast.
This tension exploded in November 2023 when the nonprofit board abruptly fired Sam Altman, citing that he had not been “consistently candid” in communications. The move backfired spectacularly: nearly all of OpenAI’s 770 employees threatened to quit and follow Altman to Microsoft (which immediately offered him a job). Five days later, Altman was reinstated and the board reconstituted.
The crisis revealed a fundamental problem: OpenAI’s hybrid structure created competing power centers with no clear hierarchy. Something had to change.
2024-2025: The Public Benefit Corporation Conversion
Throughout 2024 and early 2025, OpenAI negotiated with the attorneys general of California and Delaware to convert its for-profit subsidiary into a Public Benefit Corporation while maintaining nonprofit control. Critics, including Elon Musk (who filed a lawsuit), argued this was a betrayal of OpenAI’s nonprofit mission.
On October 28, 2025, OpenAI completed the restructuring:
- The nonprofit became “OpenAI Foundation”
- The for-profit became “OpenAI Group PBC”
- All investors’ capped-profit shares converted to standard equity
- The Foundation retained 26% equity and 100% board control
- Microsoft’s position crystallized at 27%
The conversion made OpenAI look much more like a traditional company while theoretically preserving mission governance. Whether this structure will survive contact with public markets (if OpenAI pursues an IPO) remains to be seen.
The Major Investors: Who Else Has Skin in the Game
Beyond Microsoft and the Foundation, several major players hold significant stakes in OpenAI.
SoftBank: The $64.6 Billion Bet
SoftBank’s Vision Fund made one of the largest single investments in tech history, committing approximately $64.6 billion across multiple rounds for an 11.75% stake. This represented a massive vote of confidence in OpenAI’s future—and a massive concentration of risk for SoftBank, which reportedly liquidated major positions in other holdings to fund the investment.
At current valuations, SoftBank’s stake is worth over $100 billion, representing a paper gain of roughly $50 billion. If OpenAI goes public or reaches AGI, these returns could multiply further.
Amazon, Nvidia, and the 2026 Mega-Round
In February and March 2026, OpenAI raised $122 billion in committed capital at an $852 billion post-money valuation—the largest private funding round in history. The primary investors were:
- Amazon: $50 billion commitment, primarily linked to AWS cloud purchases
- SoftBank: Additional $30 billion on top of previous investments
- Nvidia: $30 billion, tied to GPU purchases for AI training
- Other strategic investors: $12+ billion
This round differs from typical venture capital in that much of the “investment” represents advance commitments to purchase services (cloud computing from Amazon, chips from Nvidia). This structure provides OpenAI with capital while giving investors guaranteed business relationships.
Early-Stage Investors Who Struck Gold
Some of OpenAI’s earliest investors have seen extraordinary returns:
| Investor | Approximate Investment | Current Value | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khosla Ventures | ~$50 million | ~$1.5 billion | 30x |
| Sound Ventures | ~$20-30 million | ~$1.3 billion | 43x+ |
| Thrive Capital | $3.5 billion | ~$16.9 billion | 4.8x |
| Tiger Global | Undisclosed | Multi-billion | Undisclosed |
The original 2015 backers, including early contributions from Elon Musk and Sam Altman, have seen their stakes multiply over 100 times—though many have sold portions or left the company.
The AGI Clause: When Ownership Rules Change
OpenAI’s governing documents include a provision that fundamentally alters ownership dynamics: the AGI clause.
What Happens When AGI Arrives?
Artificial General Intelligence, as defined by OpenAI, is AI that can perform any intellectual task that a human can perform, across any domain. When OpenAI believes it has achieved AGI, several things happen:
- Expert Validation: An independent panel of experts must verify the AGI claim
- Microsoft’s Revenue Share Ends: Microsoft’s profit-sharing agreement terminates, though licensing rights continue through 2032
- Mission Takes Priority: The nonprofit Foundation’s governance authority strengthens, as AGI development represents the core mission
- Investment Returns May Cap: Depending on specific terms in investor agreements, some return limitations may activate
This clause exists because OpenAI’s founders recognized that AGI represents a civilizational inflection point. They didn’t want profit incentives to drive AGI development decisions.
The Road to IPO: OpenAI’s Public Market Future
OpenAI is reportedly preparing for an initial public offering, potentially as early as 2027. Internal targets suggest filing in late 2026 for a 2027 listing.
Why an IPO Makes Sense
At an expected valuation of $1+ trillion, going public would:
- Provide liquidity for early investors like SoftBank
- Enable OpenAI to raise capital directly from public markets
- Establish a clear market valuation for the company
- Allow employees to sell vested equity
However, internal tensions emerged in early 2026 when CFO Sarah Friar reportedly expressed concerns that a 2026 IPO timeline was “too aggressive,” creating friction with CEO Sam Altman.
The $1.4 Trillion Infrastructure Question
OpenAI has committed to spending approximately $1.4 trillion on AI infrastructure over the coming years. This includes:
- The $500 billion Stargate initiative with Oracle and SoftBank for data centers
- Massive chip orders from Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom
- Development of proprietary AI chips
- Global expansion of computing resources
No private company can finance this level of spending indefinitely. An IPO would provide access to the capital markets needed to fund AGI development at this scale.
Will the Nonprofit Control Survive?
The biggest question facing an OpenAI IPO: can the Foundation maintain governance control once public shareholders enter the picture? Public companies face pressure to maximize shareholder value. Directors have fiduciary duties to shareholders. Yet OpenAI’s structure explicitly prioritizes mission over profit.
Some legal experts question whether this tension is sustainable. Others point to dual-class voting structures (like those used by Google and Facebook) as potential models for preserving founder/mission control while being publicly traded.
What This Ownership Structure Means for AI’s Future
OpenAI’s ownership structure isn’t just a corporate curiosity. It represents a fundamental experiment in whether the most powerful technology ever created can be developed under mission-driven governance while satisfying the capital requirements of cutting-edge AI research.
The Optimistic View
Supporters argue OpenAI’s structure is exactly what AI development needs:
- Mission Protection: The nonprofit Foundation can block decisions that prioritize profit over safety
- Talent Alignment: Generous employee equity (25% of the company) keeps top researchers aligned with long-term success
- Investor Discipline: Even massive shareholders like Microsoft don’t control the company, preventing any single entity from dominating AGI development
- Precedent Setting: If successful, OpenAI’s model could inspire similar structures for other transformative technologies
The Skeptical View
Critics point to serious concerns:
- Governance Opacity: The overlapping Foundation and PBC boards raise questions about true independence
- Profit Pressures: Can any organization resist competitive and financial pressures with $1+ trillion in infrastructure spending?
- Mission Drift: OpenAI has already restricted model access, formed exclusive partnerships, and prioritized commercial applications—departures from its original open ethos
- AGI Safety Concerns: Some former safety researchers who left OpenAI believe the company has deprioritized safety in favor of beating competitors to market
The Elon Musk Wildcard
Elon Musk, OpenAI’s co-founder turned critic, submitted a $97.4 billion unsolicited bid in February 2025 to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI. The bid was rejected, but Musk’s ongoing lawsuits and public criticism create uncertainty about OpenAI’s legal standing.
Musk argues OpenAI has abandoned its nonprofit mission and should return to its roots or be restructured. His competitor company, xAI, directly challenges OpenAI in the AI market. Whether Musk’s legal challenges gain traction could affect OpenAI’s ownership structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the owner of ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is owned by OpenAI Group PBC, a Public Benefit Corporation. OpenAI itself has multiple stakeholders: Microsoft owns 27%, the OpenAI Foundation (nonprofit) owns 26%, employees own 25%, SoftBank owns ~12%, and other investors own the remaining ~10%. The Foundation controls all board appointments despite being a minority shareholder.
Does Microsoft own ChatGPT?
No. Microsoft is the largest external shareholder in OpenAI with a 27% stake (worth $230+ billion), but it does not own or control ChatGPT or OpenAI. Microsoft has exclusive licensing rights to OpenAI’s models through 2032 and has integrated them into products like Copilot, but the OpenAI Foundation maintains governance control through board appointments.
Does Sam Altman own OpenAI?
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, reportedly owns zero equity in the company as of early 2026. He has repeatedly stated he is motivated by the mission rather than financial returns. There have been discussions about granting him equity, but no formal announcements have been made. His net worth of approximately $3.3 billion comes from investments in other companies like Stripe, Reddit, and Airbnb.
Is OpenAI a public company?
No, OpenAI is currently a private company. However, it is preparing for a potential initial public offering (IPO) as early as 2027. At its current valuation of $850+ billion, it would be one of the most valuable IPOs in history.
How much is OpenAI worth?
As of April 2026, OpenAI was valued at $852 billion following its latest funding round. This makes it the most valuable private company in the world, surpassing SpaceX. Some projections suggest a potential $1+ trillion valuation for an IPO.
Who are OpenAI’s biggest investors?
The largest investors in OpenAI are: Microsoft (27%, $230+ billion value), the OpenAI Foundation (26%, $221 billion), Employees (25%, $213 billion), SoftBank (11.75%, $100+ billion), Amazon ($50 billion committed), and Nvidia ($30 billion committed). Smaller but significant investors include Thrive Capital, Tiger Global, Khosla Ventures, and others.
When was OpenAI founded and by whom?
OpenAI was founded in December 2015 by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and several other researchers and technologists. It began as a nonprofit research lab with about $130 million in actual funding (despite announcing $1 billion in commitments).
Why did Elon Musk leave OpenAI?
Elon Musk left OpenAI’s board in February 2018. The official reason was potential conflicts of interest with Tesla’s AI development. However, internal communications suggest Musk wanted majority control and to merge OpenAI with Tesla as its “cash cow”—something other founders rejected. Musk later told staff he believed OpenAI’s probability of success was zero. He has since founded xAI as a competitor.
What is the OpenAI Foundation?
The OpenAI Foundation is the nonprofit organization that controls OpenAI. It owns 26% of the equity in OpenAI Group PBC but has 100% control over board appointments, giving it governance authority despite being a minority shareholder. The Foundation is worth approximately $130 billion and has committed $25 billion to healthcare and AI resilience initiatives.
Will OpenAI go public?
OpenAI is reportedly targeting an IPO in 2027, with potential SEC filings in late 2026. CEO Sam Altman has stated the Public Benefit Corporation structure makes an IPO “the most likely path forward” for raising the massive capital needed for AGI development. However, internal disagreements about timing have emerged between Altman and CFO Sarah Friar.
What happens to OpenAI ownership when it achieves AGI?
When OpenAI declares it has achieved AGI (validated by independent experts), Microsoft’s revenue-sharing agreement expires (though licensing rights continue through 2032). The OpenAI Foundation’s governance authority strengthens, and some investor return caps may activate. The exact implications depend on specific terms in investor agreements.
How does OpenAI make money?
OpenAI generates revenue through multiple streams: ChatGPT Plus subscriptions ($20/month for 20+ million subscribers), enterprise licensing deals, API access for developers, and business partnerships. The company reported $12 billion in annualized revenue as of mid-2025, up from $3.7 billion in 2024. It also projects $2.5 billion in advertising revenue for 2026, potentially reaching $100 billion annually by 2030.
Conclusion: An Ownership Structure Like No Other
Who owns ChatGPT? The answer is simultaneously straightforward and extraordinarily complex.
On paper, OpenAI Group PBC is owned by a diverse group of shareholders: Microsoft (27%), the OpenAI Foundation (26%), employees (25%), SoftBank (12%), and various other investors (10%). But the real power doesn’t flow from equity percentages—it flows from governance rights.
The OpenAI Foundation, despite owning only a quarter of the company, controls every board seat. Microsoft, despite investing over $13 billion and holding the largest external stake, has no voting power. Sam Altman, despite running an $850 billion company, appears to own zero equity. Employees, unusually, own a quarter of the company and include former employees in the equity pool.
This structure emerged from a specific belief: that artificial general intelligence is too important to be controlled by profit-seeking shareholders or any single individual. Whether that belief translates into practice remains one of the most important questions in technology.
As OpenAI races toward AGI, burns through hundreds of billions in infrastructure spending, faces down competitors like Google, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI, and prepares for a potential trillion-dollar IPO, its ownership structure will face increasing pressure. Can mission-focused nonprofit governance survive in public markets? Will Sam Altman eventually take equity? Can Microsoft’s massive investment coexist with Foundation control? Will the AGI clause ever activate, and if so, what happens then?
These questions don’t just matter for OpenAI’s shareholders. They matter for everyone. ChatGPT and its successor models are reshaping how we work, learn, create, and make decisions. The incentives and constraints facing the people who control this technology will shape its development—and potentially the future of humanity.
For now, ChatGPT is owned by a complex web of shareholders operating under nonprofit governance, united by astronomical valuations and competing visions of what AI should become. It’s a corporate structure without precedent, governing technology without precedent, during a moment in history without precedent.
The experiment is still running. We’re all watching to see how it ends.
Agnesa Brinkmann is a senior writer at LA Magazine with over 4 years of experience interviewing entrepreneurs and business owners from all around the world.