CEO OpenAI Сем Альтман / Depositphotos
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that the company is losing money on the new pricey ChatGPT subscription, which costs users $200.
Surprisingly, the reason is “excessive demand” — users are using it more frequently than OpenAI had anticipated.
“I personally set the price,” wrote Altman in a series of posts on X, “and thought we would make some money”.
ChatGPT Pro, which was launched at the end of last year, provides access to the updated version of the artificial intelligence model o1 from OpenAI, the o1 pro mode, and removes speed limits for several other company tools, including the video generator Sora.
Currently, OpenAI is not profitable, despite having raised about $20 billion since its inception. It was reported that the company expects about $5 billion in losses with a revenue of $3.7 billion last year. The main expenses in this case go to infrastructure and AI training in addition to staff salaries and office rent. Previously, ChatGPT cost OpenAI approximately $700,000 per day (via TechCrunch), but current figures are unknown.
The company is well aware of its financial situation and recently stated that it needs “more capital than expected,” considering preparations for corporate restructuring to attract new investments. Rumor has it, to achieve profitability, OpenAI is considering raising the price on various subscription tiers.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is quite optimistic, projecting that its revenue will reach $100 billion by 2029, and Altman himself wants the company’s chatbot to be used by every 8th person on Earth this year.