OpenAI is experiencing significant growth despite increasing competition. As of February, the tech company reported 400 million weekly active users, a 33 percent increase from 300 million in December, according to COO Brad Lightcap. This marked rise reflects the evolving utility and familiarity of ChatGPT among users.
Lightcap noted that user adoption is largely driven by word of mouth, as people discover practical applications for the tool. He emphasized the desire for such technology and its perceived value, which is translating into OpenAI’s expanding enterprise sector. The number of paying enterprise users has surged to 2 million, doubling since September, largely due to employees advocating for its use in their companies.
Developer engagement has also surged, with traffic doubling over the past six months and increasing fivefold for OpenAI’s reasoning model, o3. Major clients include Uber, Morgan Stanley, Moderna, and T-Mobile. Lightcap compared in an interview with CNBC this growth to the early days of cloud services, indicating a gradual yet steady enterprise build-up.
Read more: Elon Musk’s bid for OpenAI rejected: What’s next for the AI giant?
Navigating new challenges
OpenAI’s success comes alongside challenges, particularly from the Chinese competitor DeepSeek, which has sparked concerns about the future profitability of U.S. AI companies. Following DeepSeek’s emergence, OpenAI accused them of improperly using its models, but Lightcap asserted that this competition has not altered OpenAI’s approach to open source or its strategic plans.
Additionally, OpenAI faces legal battles, including a lawsuit from co-founder Elon Musk, who is challenging the company’s transition to a for-profit model. While Microsoft has invested billions, SoftBank is finalizing a deal that could value OpenAI at nearly $300 billion. OpenAI’s leadership maintains that the company is not for sale and continues to focus on its growth trajectory, despite Musk’s competitive maneuvers.
Last week, OpenAI rejected an investment deal worth $97.4 billion which Elon Musk led with his partners. The creators of ChatGPT maintain strict ownership of the company while they view new purchase offers as improper towards their base of operations.
