June 10 (Reuters) - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told staff in a message earlier this week that he expected the AI startup to go public "within the next year," The Information reported on Wednesday.

The ChatGPT maker on Monday said it had confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering recently, joining rival Anthropic in a push toward a stock market listing as it looks to tap into insatiable investor demand for AI shares.

Altman said that "many things could cause it to be sooner or later in that range, but filing now gives us optionality if we want to go sooner," according to the report.

He also told staff that OpenAI is preparing to launch a tender offer "very soon" at the current share price of $687.69, The Information reported.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Anil D'Silva)