Facing financial pressures, OpenAI is internally debating the introduction of advertisements on its ChatGPT platform. Despite a massive user base of approximately 800 million, only about 5% are paying subscribers, creating an unreliable revenue stream for the highly-valued company. A significant portion of its current income comes from this small fraction of premium users.
Reports indicate that some users already mistakenly believe ChatGPT responses are influenced by sponsorships, an assumption that some staff are using to advocate for implementing ads. This potential shift towards an ad-based model is being compared to Meta's strategy, a path further influenced by the fact that around 20% of OpenAI's workforce are former Meta employees. This move signals a broader pivot from its original AGI-focused mission towards operating more like a consumer product company.
In parallel, OpenAI is expanding its cheaper "Go" subscription tier to more European countries to attract more paid users. Furthermore, the company has introduced a new system of purchasable credits for accessing advanced models like Sora. These steps, alongside the potential for ads, highlight OpenAI's concerted effort to establish a sustainable and diversified business model ahead of a potential public listing.
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