OpenAI’s recent strategy on whether to introduce advertising has attracted widespread attention. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has made slightly different remarks on separate occasions, denying current plans to introduce advertising while hinting at the possibility of exploring other revenue streams, including advertising, in the future. This vague statement, coupled with OpenAI’s recent personnel changes in the executive team, and the contradiction between the company’s continued high R&D investment and profit goals, make OpenAI’s future development direction confusing.
Recently, OpenAI’s chief financial officer Sarah Friar said in an interview with Register magazine that OpenAI currently has no plans to introduce advertising on its platform. While many users are not enthusiastic about the advertising model, increasing ad revenue seems like a no-brainer for an AI developer that is trying to transform into a profitable company.
Friar said: "Our business is growing rapidly and we see significant opportunities within our existing business model. While we are willing to explore other revenue streams in the future, we currently have no active advertising plans." This statement is consistent with her earlier What was said in the Financial Times interview differed. At the time, she mentioned that OpenAI would “carefully consider when and where ads are implemented.”
Considering that OpenAI is currently valued at $157 billion, many believe it is difficult for the company to ignore advertising as a potential revenue source. Take Google, for example. Most of its revenue comes from advertising. With the widespread application of ChatGPT and the launch of the SearchGPT AI search engine, it seems a reasonable idea for OpenAI to increase revenue through an advertising model, although this may be unpleasant for users who are not used to advertising.
Although Friar’s remarks rule out the possibility of introducing advertising currently, it is worth noting that OpenAI has recently recruited a number of professionals with extensive experience in marketing and advertising platform building. In June 2024, Kevin Weil, the former head of product and marketing for Instagram and Twitter, was appointed chief product officer, while Shivakumar Venkataraman, who had worked at Google for more than 20 years, joined the company in May 2024 as vice president, focusing on in advertising-related businesses.
However, OpenAI’s changes in senior management have also attracted attention from the outside world. Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati will leave in September 2024, and two other executives, Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph, will also leave. Currently, one of the only remaining founders, Sam Altman, still plays an important role in the company after being briefly ousted in November.
In this context, Gartner analyst Jason Wong said that with the departure of the founder and multiple executives, OpenAI is being reshaped toward Sam Altman's vision. Although OpenAI continues to consume investors' funds to develop AI models, this business model is not consistent with profitability goals, and investors will eventually hope to receive returns. At the same time, Elon Musk is trying to prevent OpenAI from fully transforming into a profitable company through legal means.
All in all, the future development of OpenAI is full of uncertainties, and the exploration of its business model is still continuing. The introduction of advertising will still depend on the company's future strategic adjustments and market competition. OpenAI's decision will have a profound impact on the entire AI industry.