ChatGPT reaches 400M weekly users

Artificial intelligence company OpenAI has expanded its reach significantly since 2024, with its ChatGPT product now serving 400 million weekly active users and over 2 million business customers. The company is preparing major model upgrades while facing increased competition from rivals like xAI and DeepSeek.

Key metrics and growth: OpenAI has achieved substantial user and business adoption while expanding its technical capabilities through new model releases.

• ChatGPT’s weekly active user base has reached 400 million globally
• Business customers have doubled to 2 million since September 2024
• Usage of OpenAI’s reasoning model API has grown 5x since launching the o3 Mini model

Product roadmap and strategy: OpenAI is undertaking significant model upgrades that will merge existing product lines and expand access.

• The company plans to launch GPT-4.5 and GPT-5, combining their GPT and o-series models
• GPT-5 will be offered to free users with unlimited usage, marking a shift in accessibility
• Enterprise customers like Morgan Stanley, Uber, and T-Mobile have integrated OpenAI’s models into their workflows

Strategic partnerships and market position: OpenAI continues to forge important institutional relationships while defending its market position.

• USAID has become OpenAI’s first federal agency customer through ChatGPT Enterprise adoption
• A $3 billion annual investment partnership with SoftBank strengthens OpenAI’s presence in Japan
• Elon Musk’s recent $97 billion takeover attempt of OpenAI was unsuccessful

Competitive landscape: New entrants are challenging OpenAI’s dominance in the AI sector.

• Elon Musk’s xAI has emerged as a direct competitor in the large language model space
• Chinese AI company DeepSeek has disrupted the market with low-cost, open-source alternatives
• The rise of competing offerings has increased pressure on OpenAI to maintain its technological edge

Market outlook: The next year appears pivotal for OpenAI’s future and its ability to maintain leadership in artificial intelligence development.

• The success of upcoming GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 releases could significantly impact OpenAI’s competitive position
• Growing enterprise adoption suggests increasing commercial viability of AI language models
• OpenAI’s decision to offer GPT-5 for free signals a strategic shift toward wider accessibility

Critical inflection point: With increasing competition and major product launches on the horizon, OpenAI’s ability to execute on its technical roadmap while maintaining its market leadership will be tested in ways that could reshape the AI industry landscape through 2026.