ChatGPT Plans To Sell You Ads Because It’s Cheap To Run, Not Because It’S Evil

KEY POINTS

•As of January 2026, OpenAI's ChatGPT had approximately 900 million users worldwide, with 850 million using it for free or minimal fees.
•OpenAI aims to monetize this vast free user base by showing ads, having hired a top former Meta executive to lead this effort.
•The company expects to generate $100 million in annual ad revenue just two months after launching ads, though ad prices are below goals.

As of January 2026, OpenAI's ChatGPT sported a modest 900 million users—a crowd so large it rivals every human on Earth owning a slightly lazy toddler AI. But here’s the kicker: 850 million of those users pay close to nada, no dollars, zip, zilch. Enter Sam Altman, CEO and chief ad-peddler, who dumped sidequests like the 'Sora' chat fracas and hired a top Meta sales exec to chase premium ad dollars. Despite aiming to charge advertisers $60 per 1,000 impressions, OpenAI’s settling for $15—reflecting ad world rookie desperation. With $100 million in projected annual ad revenue after just two months, ChatGPT’s turning free users into screen-staring revenue streams—because who wouldn’t want ad views instead of seamless AI chats? Oh, and even the $8-a-month ChatGPT Go users aren’t safe—they get ads too, because everyone’s fair game in the race to monetize existential digital friendlessness.