Open AI is on FIRE!

Competitive threats from open source, employees leaving, board room drama, strained Microsoft relationship -- all be damned

Despite many internal and external challenges in the last 12 months, OpenAI continues to execute at an amazing level.

Just a few highlights

Adoption

• 1M sign-ups in one hour (source) and now have 400M weekly users (source)

• Corporate adoption increases as has 1 million paid users for its business versions, including ChatGPT Team, ChatGPT Enterprise, and ChatGPT Edu (source)

• On pace, reportedly, for $12B in revenue this year (2025) up from $4.5B last year

  

Product improvements continue

• Enhanced image generation in GPT-4 and improvements in 4.0

• The amazing Deep Research offering (now available for $20/mo).

• Continued preference by many b2b and b2c users vs Microsoft Co pilot and other tools in our GAI Insights community and via adhoc surveys of corporate users

Successful fundraising

• Raised $40B on $300B valuation. (Note that $30B continent on conversion to an for-profit entity)

Impressive Partnerships

• OpenAI announced the Stargate Project, a $500 billion joint venture with Oracle, SoftBank, and MGX to build AI infrastructure, working with the US government

Open source threat? Microsoft partnership falling apart? - who cares!

OpenAI continues to execute impressively.

P.S., we continue to get companies requesting our free Secure Employee Chat Feature Comparison guide as they look for alternatives to Microsoft Co-Pilot.

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Register here for this massive AI Summit at MIT Apr 15. Tickets are free. Dr. John Sviokla and I are both speaking.

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Sponsor or attend our 3rd annual conference, GAI World 2025, celebrating and learning from corporate leaders IN PRODUCTION with GenAI applications. Our conference is Sep 29-30 in Boston (we sold out the last 2 years). More info here

GAI World 2025 occurs Sep 29-30 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston

This conference focus on celebrating and learning from companies in-production with enterprise GenAI.

• Audience titles; Board member, CEO, SVP Digital, Chief Innovation Office, CTO, CDO, and AI team leads

• 800 attendees, 120 speakers, 60 case studies, 15 AI startups, 30 exhibitors

• The conference includes multiple networking events including a Women in AI breakfast and a Celebrating Black Pioneers lunch

What highlight video and all the energy from our 2024 sold-out conference here.

Confirmed speakers for 2025 so far

• Dr. John John Halamka, President, Mayo Clinic Platform (just added)

• Shikhar Ghosh, Professor, Harvard Business School

• Melissa Smith, CEO, WEX (NYSE: WEX)

• Karen Stroup, Chief Digital Officer, WEX (NYSE: WEX)

• Heather Lavoie EVP and CIO, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

• Barbara Widholm, VP of AI, State Street Bank (NYSE: STT)

• Kausar Riaz Ahmed, Director, Generative AI, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)

• Dr. Thomas Kingsley, Director Epidemiology AI Lab, UCLA Health

• Gaye Bok, Partner, AI and Digital Innovation Fund, Mass General Brigham

• Ramesh Raskar, Professor and Director Media Lab, MIT

• Parag Shah, VP Data, CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG)

• Ben Kasdon, VP Products, CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG)

• Veronika Durgin, VP Data, Saks (NYSEL SKS)

• Nina Lee Grooms, Board Member, Alamo Group (NYSE: ALG)

• Andy Stetzler, Enterprise AI Lead, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Randy Bean, Senior Advisor, Data & AI Leadership Exchange

• David Edelman, Professor, Harvard Business School

• Andy Roberts, AI Architect, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

• Kevin Shatzkamer, CVP, Microsoft Customer Experience, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)

• Pete Blackshaw, CEO, BrandRank.AI

• Christopher Broone, Group VP of Life Sciences, Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)

• Jeffrey Rayport, Professor, Harvard Business School

• Rizwan Mallal, COO, Quantum Gears

• Dr. Ryan Vega, Chief Health Officer, Vantiq

• Gamiel Gran, Chief Commercial Officer, Mayfield Fund

• Mike Grandinetti, Serial Tech Entrepreneur & Faculty, Harvard

• Vladimir Jacimovic, CEO, AlgoVerde

• Chris McKay, CEO, Maginative

• Anthony Hill, CEO and Founder, Adaptix Corp

• Kent Lucas, Founding Partner, Non Sibi Ventures

• Dr. Tamara Nall, CEO, The Leading Niche

• Tom Davenport, Professor, Babson College

• Rudina Seseri, Managing Partner, Glasswing Ventures

• John Werner, Founder, Imagination in Action

• Adam Rappaport, Co-Fonder and AI Analyst, GAI Insights

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“Dreams are the touchstones of our character.” – Henry David Thoreau

Onward,
Paul

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