TL;DR:
• OpenAI won't rule out ads in ChatGPT as revenue pressures mount
• Company expects $12.7B in 2025 revenue but won't be cash-positive until 2029
• ChatGPT hits 700M users with only 20M paying subscribers
• "Commerce in ChatGPT" affiliate program actively being explored
OpenAI is keeping the door open to advertising in ChatGPT as the AI giant searches for new revenue streams beyond subscriptions. ChatGPT head Nick Turley told The Verge's Decoder podcast he's "humble enough not to rule it out categorically," marking a significant shift for the company that's burning through cash despite projecting $12.7 billion in revenue this year.
OpenAI just cracked open the door to something CEO Sam Altman once called "uniquely unsettling" - advertising in ChatGPT. The revelation comes as the AI powerhouse faces mounting pressure to monetize its 700 million users while burning cash faster than it can generate revenue.
ChatGPT head Nick Turley delivered the news during an interview on The Verge's Decoder podcast, saying OpenAI would need to be "very thoughtful and tasteful" about potential ad integration. "I think it's good to preserve optionality," Turley said, though he hedged that ChatGPT "just isn't an ads-y product because it's just so deeply accountable to your goals."
The timing isn't coincidental. Bloomberg reported in March that OpenAI expects to generate $12.7 billion in revenue this year through subscriptions, more than tripling its $3.7 billion from 2024. Yet the company still burns more money than it makes and won't reach cash-flow positive until 2029.
The math is stark: ChatGPT just surpassed 700 million total users, but only 20 million pay for subscriptions according to April figures. That leaves roughly 680 million users generating costs but no direct revenue - a massive untapped market that's catching investor attention.
"I actually don't view the fact that the vast majority of our users are free as necessarily a liability," Turley told the podcast. "I really think it's a funnel that we can build off of to build differentiated offerings for people who are willing to pay."
