OpenAI Focuses on Advertising in ChatGPT: Already 100 Million Dollars in Two Months and Billion-Dollar Ambitions

OpenAI has reportedly generated approximately 100 million dollars in annual revenue thanks to the introduction of advertising within ChatGPT, according to Axios. This figure is particularly surprising because the advertising program was initiated only two months ago, in February 2026, marking a rapid initial success for this new monetization strategy.

The company has also shared extremely ambitious forecasts with investors: it is projected to reach 2.5 billion dollars in advertising revenue by the end of 2026, destined to grow to 53 billion by 2029 and even 100 billion by 2030. Such figures would place OpenAI on par with, or even beyond, giants like Tesla and Disney in terms of revenue.

However, these estimates are based on a significant growth in the user base. OpenAI expects to reach approximately 2.75 billion weekly users by 2030, while the current number hovers around 900 million. As is often the case in the tech industry, these projections should be taken with caution, especially in light of a potential multi-billion-dollar IPO.

What Inspires OpenAI's Model?

The model behind this strategy is not new: it is clearly inspired by Google, which generates enormous revenue through targeted advertising based on user data. However, ChatGPT might prove even more effective, as users share very detailed information about their interests, needs, and preferences in conversations, often in direct or implicit ways.

This aspect raises significant concerns. The introduction of advertisements has sparked mixed reactions among users, some of whom perceive this practice as an abuse of the trust placed in the system. ChatGPT is often seen not just as an informative tool but also as a personal assistant or even a “neutral” interlocutor. The insertion of advertisements risks compromising this perception.

Competitors have already seized the opportunity to differentiate themselves. Anthropic, for example, has promoted its chatbot Claude as an advertisement-free alternative, emphasizing this aspect in highly visible advertising campaigns.