OpenAI
From the models to the business behind them. Follow our reporting on OpenAI and the choices shaping the AI industry.
Get AI Secret’s free daily briefing, including OpenAI and the wider AI industry.
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
Newest firstRelated reporting
Briefs, articles and relevant sections, newest first. Explore older coverage below.
More coverage
OpenAI Plans to Cut Microsoft Revenue Share After Restructuring
Over the years, OpenAI has established a significant partnership with Microsoft, which has been a major investor and collaborator. However, recent developments indicate that OpenAI plans
Apple's New Struggle
The Legal Battle Between Indian Media and OpenAI
The Legal Battle Between Indian Media and OpenAI
In a landmark legal battle that could redefine the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright law in India, a coalition of Indian news outlets and
A New Direction
The Million-Fold Leap in AI: U.S. AI Czar David Sacks' Vision for the Next Four Years
OpenAI Abandons Controversial For-Profit Plan
In a pivotal decision, OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) research organization, has announced that it will abandon its controversial plan to transition its business operations to
Anthropic CEO Admits We Don't Understand How AI Works
In a rare and striking moment of candor, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic—one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) research labs—has publicly
Meta Launches Meta AI: Mark Zuckerberg's Vision for AI, Blended Reality, and Conversations with Satya Nadella
On April 29, 2025, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, unveiled a standalone artificial intelligence (AI) app, Meta AI, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing AI
30% Of Microsoft Code is Now AI-Generated
In a landmark revelation, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that approximately thirty percent of the code in Microsoft’s repositories is now written by artificial intelligence
ChatGPT is Now Available For Shopping
A Comprehensive Report on Alibaba's New Qwen 3 AI Model Series