Recently, news about internal documents at OpenAI has garnered significant attention. These documents indicate that OpenAI plans to double the price of ChatGPT within the next five years, from the current $20 per month to $44. Concurrently, they are anticipating substantial revenue growth, aiming to achieve $100 billion in revenue by 2029.
Image Source Note: The image is AI-generated, provided by the image licensing service Midjourney.
According to The New York Times, OpenAI's revenue has tripled over the past year, reaching $300 million in August. The main driving force behind this has been ChatGPT, particularly its free version.
Data shows that the number of users surged from 100 million in March to 350 million in June, highlighting ChatGPT's popularity. OpenAI estimates that ChatGPT will generate $2.7 billion in revenue this year, a significant increase from the $700 million last year, with about $1 billion coming from corporate users.
While mentioning the price increase, OpenAI stated that this does not mean a reduction in users. They may introduce new premium features or make more powerful models more widely available to paying users. Since its launch, ChatGPT's capabilities have greatly improved, especially in the free version.
It should be noted that OpenAI's largest cost comes from the computing power provided by Microsoft. It can be said that Microsoft's investment in OpenAI largely flows back into its own coffers. At the same time, by improving the financial performance of cloud computing, Microsoft is also enhancing OpenAI's valuation and its own stock price. Other major cloud service providers, such as Amazon, are engaging in similar strategic partnerships with AI startups like Anthropic.
In the upcoming funding round, venture capital firm Thrive plans to lead an investment of over $1 billion, while Microsoft intends to add another $1 billion to its existing $13 billion investment. It is worth mentioning that despite extensive collaboration with OpenAI and ChatGPT, Apple has decided to withdraw from the negotiations.
Key Points:
1. 🚀 OpenAI plans to increase ChatGPT's price from $20 to $44 within the next five years, targeting $100 billion in revenue.
2. 📈 OpenAI's revenue has tripled over the past year, with ChatGPT expected to bring in $2.7 billion this year.
3. 💻 Microsoft is the largest cost source for OpenAI, and its investment in OpenAI impacts both parties' valuations and stock prices.