
Key Takeaway
Databricks is one of the most closely watched private software companies in the market right now because it sits at the center of two huge themes: enterprise data infrastructure and AI. The company said it reached a $5.4 billion revenue run rate in February 2026, with more than $1.4 billion coming from AI products, and it followed that with a December 2025 financing at a $134 billion valuation.
That combination of scale, growth, and AI momentum is exactly why retail investors keep asking how to buy Databricks stock. The short answer is that you can’t buy it on an exchange today, but there are a few realistic paths worth understanding — and for most investors, the closest public alternatives are the practical route.
What is Databricks?
Databricks describes itself as a data and AI company built around a unified analytics platform for building, deploying, sharing, and maintaining enterprise-grade data, analytics, and AI applications. Its current product stack includes Lakehouse, Lakeflow, Unity Catalog, AI/BI, Genie, Agent Bricks, and Lakebase.
The company was founded in 2013 by the creators of Apache Spark. Databricks says it serves more than 20,000 customers globally and is used by over 60% of the Fortune 500. One current summit page says the company has 10,000+ employees, and public materials identify Ali Ghodsi as co-founder and CEO.
Is Databricks publicly traded?
No, Databricks is currently a privately held company and does not trade on a public exchange. I found no public ticker for Databricks itself, and no official S-1 filing that would signal an active IPO process.
Databricks is a venture-backed private corporation, not a public operating company with a listed parent. That means ordinary retail investors cannot buy Databricks shares through a brokerage account the way they would buy a public stock.


