Recently, OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar stated in an interview with The Register magazine that OpenAI currently has no plans to introduce advertising on its platform. While many users are not enthusiastic about an advertising model, for an AI developer striving to transition into a profitable company, increasing ad revenue seems like a logical choice.
Friar stated, "Our business is growing rapidly, and we see significant opportunities in our existing business model. While we are open to exploring other sources of revenue in the future, there are currently no active advertising plans." This statement differs from what she said earlier in an interview with the Financial Times, where she mentioned that OpenAI would "carefully consider the timing and place for implementing advertising."
Given that OpenAI's current valuation has reached $157 billion, many believe the company cannot ignore advertising as a potential revenue source. For example, a significant portion of Google's revenue comes from advertising. With the widespread use of ChatGPT and the launch of the SearchGPT AI search engine, it seems reasonable for OpenAI to consider an advertising model to boost revenue, even though this may unsettle users who are not accustomed to ads.
Although Friar's comments ruled out the immediate introduction of advertising, it is noteworthy that OpenAI has recently hired several professionals with extensive experience in marketing and advertising platform development. In June 2024, former Instagram and Twitter product and marketing head Kevin Weil was appointed Chief Product Officer, while Shivakumar Venkataraman, who worked at Google for over 20 years, joined the company in May 2024 as Vice President, focusing on advertising-related business.
However, the changes in OpenAI's executive team have also drawn public attention. Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati left in September 2024, and two other executives, Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph, also departed. Currently, one of the company's founders, Sam Altman, continues to play a significant role after being briefly removed from his position last November.
In this context, Gartner analyst Jason Wong noted that with the departure of the founder and several executives, OpenAI is reshaping itself around Sam Altman's vision. Although OpenAI continues to consume investor funds to develop AI models, this business model does not align with profitability goals, and investors will eventually seek returns. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is attempting to legally prevent OpenAI from fully transitioning into a profit-making company.
Key Points:
🌟 OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar indicates no intention to introduce advertising currently, but may explore other revenue sources in the future.
💼 OpenAI has hired several experts in advertising and marketing, suggesting a potential consideration of an advertising model in the future.
🚪 Frequent changes in the company's executive team, with founder Sam Altman still striving to drive the company's vision.
