OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Announces Strong Growth and New Chat Model Launch
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is delivering a consistent message of regained momentum to both employees and investors. In an internal Slack message reported by CNBC, Altman revealed that ChatGPT is now back to exceeding 10% monthly growth, with more than 800 million weekly users actively engaging with the platform.
New Chat Model and Codex Performance
Altman announced that OpenAI will launch an updated Chat model this week, marking a renewed focus after declaring a 'code-red' situation last December to improve the chatbot's capabilities. This strategic move comes as the company intensifies efforts to maintain its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The CEO also highlighted Codex, OpenAI's coding product, as another bright spot in the company's portfolio. Altman revealed that Codex usage grew an impressive 50% in just one week, describing the growth as 'insane'. Codex serves as a direct competitor to Anthropic's Claude Code, which has gained significant traction in recent months.
OpenAI recently bolstered Codex's capabilities with the launch of GPT-5.3 Codex and introduced a stand-alone application specifically designed for Apple computers, further driving adoption among developers and coding professionals.
Advertising Controversy and Implementation
The week witnessed significant controversy surrounding advertising strategies in the AI space. OpenAI rival Anthropic aired Super Bowl advertisements that openly mocked OpenAI's decision to test ads within ChatGPT. Altman responded forcefully on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling the commercials 'deceptive' and insisting that OpenAI would never implement ads in the manner depicted by Anthropic.
Despite the criticism, Altman confirmed that OpenAI will proceed with testing ads in ChatGPT. The company has officially begun rolling out ad tests to a subset of free and Go users in the United States. In an X post, OpenAI clarified their approach: 'Ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers. Ads are labeled as sponsored and visually separate from the response. Our goal is to give everyone access to ChatGPT for free with fewer limits, while protecting the trust they place in it for important and personal tasks.'
OpenAI emphasized that advertising revenue is intended to help fund the infrastructure necessary to maintain Free and Go tiers while supporting broader access to AI tools. The company plans to study user feedback closely before expanding the advertising program more broadly.
Investor Confidence and Fundraising Efforts
Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar are presenting the same growth narrative to investors that they share internally with employees. OpenAI is currently in discussions to raise up to $100 billion in new funding, with expected contributions from major technology players including Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, and SoftBank.
Charts circulated during investor meetings demonstrate Codex's increasing market share at the expense of Claude Code, highlighting OpenAI's competitive advantage in the coding assistance segment. This data point reinforces the company's position as it seeks substantial new investment.
OpenAI previously closed a $41 billion funding round in March, which included $30 billion from SoftBank. The new fundraising initiative could potentially close in two separate parts, with Amazon reportedly considering a $50 billion investment that would significantly bolster OpenAI's financial resources and strategic partnerships.
