Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI has projected that at least 220 million of ChatGPT’s weekly users will pay for a subscription.
OpenAI projects that by 2030, 8.5% of an estimated 2.6 billion weekly users, or around 220 million people, will subscribe to its chatbot, positioning ChatGPT among the world’s largest subscription businesses, according to a report by Reuters and The Information on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
As of July, about 35 million users, which is roughly 5% of ChatGPT’s weekly active base, paid for “Plus” or “Pro” plans at $20 and $200 a month, respectively, the report added.
While Reuters could not immediately verify the report, OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
While OpenAI’s annualised revenue run rate is expected to reach about $20 billion by this year-end, losses in the company are also mounting.
The Information had reported in September that OpenAI generated around $4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, about 16% more than it generated all of last year, and it burned $2.5 billion in large part due to its research and development costs for developing AI and for running ChatGPT.
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OpenAI expects to generate about 20% of its revenue from new products such as shopping- and advertising-driven features. This week, it introduced a personal shopping assistant for ChatGPT, a move that could pave the way for monetisation through ads or commission-based sales, the report added.
