OpenAI
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At a glance
AI research and deployment company behind ChatGPT. Coverage follows its models, products, research, governance and the business of deploying AI.
- Focus
- ChatGPT; AI models and research
- Reference
- OpenAI
Reviewed 19 October 2026. Dates retain the precision of the source; retrospective disclosures are identified in the event. Annualized revenue levels are not audited annual sales. Financing commitments are not revenue.
Company milestones
Revenue, funding, product launches and major company events, newest first. Expand the earlier milestones for more history.
Reported September annualized revenue is nearly $50B
Reuters reports a September run rate near $50B. Earlier figures near $70B used a different sales presentation; the two should not be treated as directly comparable growth milestones.
Source: ReutersBrings GPT-6 and Intelligent UI to everyone
OpenAI extends the new model generation beyond paid customers and reports more than 1.2B weekly ChatGPT users. This is user reach, not paid subscribers.
Source: OpenAI
Show earlier milestonesHide earlier milestones2026–2015 · 9 milestones
Earlier revenue, financing and company milestones.
$122B in committed capital at $852B valuation
OpenAI closes a financing round with $122B in committed capital. Commitments and valuation are financing measures, not sales.
Source: OpenAIDiscloses $2B → $6B → $20B+ annualized growth
The CFO retrospectively reports $2B ARR in 2023, $6B in 2024 and over $20B in 2025. These are year-specific annualized levels, not recognized annual revenue; this is the disclosure date.
Source: OpenAIAnnounces $40B financing at $300B valuation
The SoftBank-led financing is announced alongside 500M weekly ChatGPT users. The figure is announced funding, rather than an ARR milestone.
Source: OpenAIAdds a $4B revolving credit facility
The credit agreement follows $6.6B in equity funding. Available borrowing capacity is distinct from equity proceeds and revenue.
Source: OpenAIReleases GPT-4
GPT-4 expands the model platform beyond ChatGPT’s original research-preview generation, with API access initially offered through a waitlist.
Source: OpenAILaunches the ChatGPT research preview
The conversational interface makes instruction-following language models available directly to the public.
Source: OpenAIOpens its first commercial API
Developers gain access to general-purpose language models through an API, establishing a business alongside research.
Source: OpenAICreates a capped-profit partnership
OpenAI announces LP alongside its nonprofit, adding a structure for financing large-scale research and commercial development.
Source: OpenAIOpenAI is announced
The organization begins as a nonprofit AI research company, preceding its later commercial API and subscription businesses.
Source: OpenAI
The latest on OpenAI
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Briefs, articles and relevant sections, newest first. Explore older coverage below.
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Welcome to our AI Secret Growth Map May 2025 Report
The AI ecosystem is evolving at a pace we’ve never seen before. In just a few years, artificial intelligence has gone from niche innovation to everyday infrastructure—powering everything from software engineering and enterprise productivity to creative workflows and autonomous agents.
At AI Secret, we’ve partnered with leading industry sources and analyzed real traffic data across millions of users to compile the May 2025 Growth Rankings. This report goes beyond hype and headlines—highlighting the tools actually winning attention, adoption, and user trust.
Whether you're an early-stage founder, product manager, investor, or simply fascinated by AI’s explosive momentum, this breakdown gives you a detailed look at where the market is heading—and who’s leading the charge.
Let’s dive into the momentum behind the machines. 👇
🧠 All AI Brands – The Broadest View of AI Growth
Our top-level ranking measures the overall growth in user visits across all AI product categories. Not surprisingly, ChatGPT remains in the #1 spot with a jaw-dropping +350.6M visit growth, bringing its total monthly visits to 5.5 billion. It’s not just an AI assistant—it’s a utility layer embedded into workflows around the globe.
Following closely is Google Gemini with +118.3M in growth, gaining ground quickly thanks to its widespread presence across Google’s ecosystem—Docs, Gmail, Android, and Search. It’s clear Gemini is becoming more than just a model—it’s a productivity enabler.
Perplexity, Claude, and Adobe also posted impressive gains, showing that search-oriented tools and creative platforms remain foundational to the AI stack.
🟢 Key Takeaway: Generalist LLMs still dominate traffic—but high-utility, focused tools are quickly carving out user mindshare.
👨💻 AI Coding – Developer Tools Take Off
Developers continue to be among the earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of AI. In May, Google AI Studio topped the coding charts with +7.9M growth, reflecting increased usage among enterprise and open-source teams alike.
Claude Code (a specialized code generation mode from Anthropic) saw +4.1M growth, proving the demand for aligned and safe coding copilots. Meanwhile, smaller but fast-growing tools like Kilo Code (+709.1K) and Rork (+400.8K) are seeing explosive growth from bootstrappers and indie hackers.
Cursor, Replit, and Windsurf all posted strong gains, reinforcing the trend of hybrid IDEs and code-enhancing assistants taking root in dev teams worldwide.
🟢 Key Takeaway: AI in code is no longer optional—it’s foundational. Tools that offer speed, structure, and reliability are winning the builder economy.
🤖 AI Agents – The Next Layer of Automation
AI agents are making waves, acting as autonomous task-runners and logic-based assistants. Manus holds the top spot this month, credited with building a flexible, multi-agent orchestration system that works out-of-the-box for startups and operations teams.
Genspark, a fast-growing newcomer, is gaining traction with its AI agent design experience. Skywork and Fellou bring focus to writing, research, and daily productivity tasks.
With AI agents now capable of managing inboxes, launching ad campaigns, and analyzing documents, adoption is spreading rapidly.
🟢 Key Takeaway: We're entering the “assistant economy.” The best AI agents aren’t just smart—they’re deeply useful. Agentic AI is a new field, and the top five products chosen in this survey represent community opinions and market interest. This provides a reliable overview of the current AI agent landscape.
🎬 AI Video – Visual Creation at Warp Speed
If there’s one category seeing skyrocketing innovation, it’s AI-powered video. HeyGen and Higgsfield both grew by +1.6M, with HeyGen focusing on avatar-driven explainers and Higgsfield on realism-enhanced shortform content.
Cutout.Pro continues to lead in practical utility—offering background removal, video enhancement, and editing tools for creators and ecommerce marketers.
Other breakout stars include Veo 3 (+660K), a newcomer known for cinematic generation quality, and LTX Studio, focused on storyboarding and animation. Even well-established tools like Opus Clip and Veed posted healthy gains, confirming video remains AI’s most viral medium.
🟢 Key Takeaway: The future of storytelling is AI-generated, and creators are hungry for tools that turn concepts into content—fast.
🖼️ AI Image – From Utility to Artistry
AI image tools continue to expand, merging utility and creativity. Adobe maintains dominance with +4.9M growth, driven by its native Firefly integration into Photoshop and Express. It’s proving that traditional creative platforms can win—when they move fast enough.
Remove.bg and Freepik cater to practical visual editing, while Midjourney, Tensor Art, and Pixelcut serve artists, designers, and ecom professionals looking for fast turnaround and stylistic flexibility.
Pippit AI, Flowith, and Photoroom represent the next generation: mobile-first, consumer-friendly, and ready for TikTok-era creation.
🟢 Key Takeaway: AI image tools are no longer novelty—they’re production-ready. And the competition between utility and aesthetics is heating up.
📈 GTM AI – Tools That Power Product Launches
In the go-to-market (GTM) category, AI is becoming a crucial launch lever. Replit tops the chart with +1.7M growth, showing developers are embracing code-driven product creation more than ever.
Jotform, with +1.6M growth, continues to lead for form automation, landing pages, and internal ops. Tools like Framer, Vmake AI, and Prezi bridge the gap between creative marketing and scalable launch systems.
Even specialized tools like Replient and Autoppt are showing traction—proving there’s appetite for automation across every part of the GTM stack.
🟢 Key Takeaway: AI is redefining the startup stack. Product launches are faster, leaner, and increasingly automated.
🏢 Enterprise AI – Quiet But Massive Momentum
Enterprise adoption tends to move slower—but once it starts, it scales hard. Adobe and Meta once again top the rankings, but newer platforms like Gamma (+2.5M) are becoming staples in internal documentation, team communication, and enterprise design.
Aura, Read AI, Suna, and Planner 5D help with everything from meeting summaries to spatial planning. Meanwhile, Airtable, Notta, and Abacus AI show strong growth in the automation and knowledge management space.
🟢 Key Takeaway: Enterprise AI isn’t flashy—but it’s sticky. Once integrated into workflows, these tools become indispensable.
🔚 Final Thoughts – AI’s Growth Curve Is Just Getting Started
Across every category—from dev tools and agents to enterprise apps and video creators—AI usage is accelerating, diversifying, and deepening. Major platforms continue to dominate in reach, but smaller tools with strong utility and fast iteration cycles are making serious moves. As AI becomes embedded into every workflow, the line between “tool” and “team member” is blurring.
What stands out most?
- AI video tools are exploding in popularity as creators seek faster, smarter workflows.
- AI agents and GTM platforms are reshaping how products launch, scale, and operate.
- Coding assistants are empowering developers at every level, while enterprise AI solutions are quietly streamlining workflows behind the scenes.
- Even hyper-niche tools are gaining traction—proof that demand isn't just broad, it's deep.
As the AI stack expands, one thing is clear: the future belongs to those building fast, adapting fast, and solving real problems.
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