August 15, 2025 – OpenAI is actively exploring new ways to boost its revenue, and the idea of introducing ads into ChatGPT has emerged as a potential option, according to a report by The Verge on the 14th.
Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, didn’t completely rule out the possibility. However, he stressed that OpenAI has to be extremely cautious and tasteful when considering how to integrate ads into the platform. “We’re developing other products that might be better suited for different business models. Maybe ChatGPT itself isn’t the right place for ads since it needs to closely align with users’ goals. But that doesn’t mean we won’t launch other products in the future. I think it’s crucial to remain flexible. At the same time, I want to highlight the enormous potential of the subscription model. It’s growing rapidly and still has a lot of untapped opportunities,” Turley said.
Back in March this year, Bloomberg reported that OpenAI expected its subscription revenue to reach 12.7billionin2025,morethantriplethe3.7 billion it generated in 2024. Despite this, the company is still spending more than it earns and is not expected to achieve positive cash flow until 2029.
Turley revealed that the total number of ChatGPT users has just surpassed 700 million, with 20 million of them being paid subscribers as of the April report. “The vast majority of users are on the free tier, but that’s not necessarily a burden. In fact, I see it as an opportunity to build differentiated paid products,” he added.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also been cautious about introducing ads into ChatGPT. During a fireside chat at Harvard Business School last year, he said that combining ads with AI “makes me a bit uneasy” and that it would be considered as a “last resort.” However, in the first episode of OpenAI’s podcast in June, Altman stated that he’s “not entirely against it.”
