OpenAI just fired the next shot in the global AI expansion race, announcing its first Indian office in New Delhi and a aggressive sub-$5 ChatGPT plan. The move puts the AI giant head-to-head with Google and Perplexity in the world's second-largest internet market, where 1.4 billion users represent the ultimate prize for AI dominance.
OpenAI is making its biggest international expansion bet yet, planting its flag in India's massive tech market with a new New Delhi office and aggressive pricing strategy that directly challenges rivals Google, Meta, and upstart Perplexity. The timing couldn't be more strategic – just days after launching its sub-$5 ChatGPT plan specifically for Indian users.
The company announced Friday it's establishing a local team and corporate office in India's capital within months, building on hiring moves that began last year. OpenAI brought aboard former Truecaller and Meta executive Pragya Mishra as public policy and partnerships lead in April 2024, followed by former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly as senior advisor to navigate government AI policy discussions.
"Opening our first office and building a local team is an important first step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country and to build AI for India, and with India," CEO Sam Altman said in a statement that signals OpenAI's recognition of India as a make-or-break market.
The stakes are enormous. India represents the world's second-largest internet and smartphone market after China, with over 1.4 billion potential users that every AI company desperately wants to capture. OpenAI faces fierce competition from tech giants Google and Meta, plus AI newcomers like Perplexity, all racing to dominate the subcontinent's digital landscape.
Earlier this week, OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT Go at ₹399 per month (approximately $4.75), making it the first ChatGPT subscription plan designed specifically to attract Indian masses. The aggressive pricing directly responds to recent partnership with telecom giant , which gives Airtel's 360 million subscribers free access to Perplexity Pro for 12 months.
