OpenAI pushes into ads

OpenAI is trying to sell two different things at once: a $100-a-month subscription for people who use ChatGPT like a work tool, and an ad system for brands that want to reach those same people inside the chat window. TechCrunch reported the new Pro plan on April 9, and Axios reported the company is projecting $2.5 billion in ad revenue in 2026 and $100 billion by 2030. (techcrunch.com) (axios.com) The subscription side is straightforward: OpenAI added a new ChatGPT Pro tier priced at $100 per month. TechCrunch said the main pitch is heavier coding use, with 5 times more access to Codex than the Plus plan. (techcrunch.com) Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent, which means software developers can hand it programming tasks instead of just asking for text answers. OpenAI’s developer site says Codex is included across ChatGPT plans, but the new Pro tier is built for longer, higher-intensity sessions. (developers.openai.com) (help.openai.com) OpenAI’s own help page says ChatGPT Pro includes its most capable Pro model plus higher usage limits for Deep Research and Codex. That is a very different product from a casual chatbot for homework help or quick questions. (help.openai.com) At the same time, OpenAI has been building the machinery that turns a chat app into an advertising platform. Adweek reported that code in OpenAI’s ads manager points to conversion tracking inside ChatGPT, which is the measurement system advertisers use to see whether an ad led to a click, sign-up, or purchase. (adweek.com) That detail matters because brand ads and performance ads are not the same business. A brand ad buys attention, while a performance ad buys a measurable action, and conversion tracking is the receipt. (adweek.com) Axios’ report makes the scale of the bet much clearer. The outlet said OpenAI expects ad revenue to rise from $2.5 billion this year to $100 billion in 2030, which would put advertising at the center of the company’s business model, not off to the side. (axios.com) Put those two moves together and the shape of the strategy changes. The $100 plan pulls in developers, analysts, and other heavy users, while the ad tools give OpenAI a way to make money when those users search, compare products, and act on recommendations inside ChatGPT. (techcrunch.com) (adweek.com) (axios.com) OpenAI is not the first artificial intelligence company to chase premium subscriptions. TechCrunch noted that Anthropic already had a $100-a-month Claude plan, and OpenAI’s new tier looks like a direct answer to that pricing pressure. (techcrunch.com) What is new is trying to combine premium software pricing with a full ad funnel inside the same product. One side says ChatGPT is becoming expensive professional infrastructure, and the other side says it is becoming a place where marketers can pay to influence what users do next. (help.openai.com) (adweek.com) (axios.com) If OpenAI can make both sides work, ChatGPT stops looking like a single app and starts looking more like a new layer between Google search, office software, and online shopping. The subscription pays for power users up front, and the ad system pays again when those users turn questions into transactions. (techcrunch.com) (axios.com)