OpenAI Ads: OpenAI is getting into advertising. And according to one of Wall Street’s top analysts, this move could turn into a massive $25 billion business by 2030. Let’s break down what this means for everyone involved.
What’s Happening with OpenAI Ads?
Last Friday, OpenAI made an announcement that got the entire industry buzzing. ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that nearly 1 billion people use every week, is starting to show ads to some users. If you’re on the free version or the Go plan, you’ll see these ads pop up in the coming weeks.
Now, before you worry about your experience getting cluttered with random promotions, OpenAI says they’re being careful about this. They’ve committed to labeling ads clearly and keeping your conversations private from advertisers. The ads will show up at the bottom of ChatGPT’s responses and they’ll actually match what you’re talking about.
The $25 Billion Prediction
Mark Mahaney from Evercore ISI thinks OpenAI ads could hit $25 billion in annual revenue by 2030. He’s not just throwing numbers around—he’s looking at ChatGPT’s user growth, how well other advertising platforms perform, and the sheer size of the digital ad market.
Here’s some context: OpenAI’s total revenue reached $20 billion annually in 2025. That’s up from just $2 billion in 2023. Adding a successful advertising business could help them finally turn a profit, which is something investors really want to see since the company’s still losing money.
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Why Advertisers Will Love ChatGPT
ChatGPT has something advertisers dream about: people tell it exactly what they need. When someone chats with the AI, they’re often sharing their problems, wants, and plans. That’s incredibly valuable information for marketing.
Say someone asks ChatGPT “What’s the best laptop for video editing under $1,500?” That person is basically ready to buy. Advertisers will pay premium prices to reach someone at that exact moment when they’re making a purchase decision.
This is why Google and Meta have built such huge advertising businesses. Google Search and YouTube brought in around $300 billion in ad revenue in 2025. Meta pulled in another $180 billion. These aren’t just impressive numbers—both companies run their ad businesses with roughly 40% profit margins.
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The Google Challenge
OpenAI ads are a direct shot at Google’s search advertising dominance. For years, when people wanted to find something or buy something, they Googled it. It became such a habit that “Google” literally became a verb.
But ChatGPT offers something different. Instead of clicking through search results, you have an actual conversation. If OpenAI can make ads feel helpful instead of annoying, they might pull away some of those valuable searches from Google.
Mahaney makes an interesting point about what he calls “conversational” advertising. If people can research products and talk through purchase decisions right inside ChatGPT, that’s a whole new level of engagement. Advertisers might start moving their budgets over because this kind of interaction is so valuable.
What Makes OpenAI Ads Different?
The approach OpenAI is taking seems pretty smart. Ads show up at the bottom of responses and relate to what you’re actually discussing. Ask about hiking gear? You might see ads for outdoor brands. Getting recipe ideas? Maybe you’ll see grocery delivery options.
This means the ads might actually be useful sometimes, which is a win for everyone. And for advertisers, their products get shown to people who are already interested in that kind of thing.
The Reality Check
Let’s pump the brakes a bit though. Even if OpenAI goes full throttle with advertising, they’re not going to overtake Google anytime soon. Google spent decades building an entire ecosystem—Chrome, Android, Maps, Gmail—that all works together to keep people using their services.
Our habits are hard to break too. When most of us need an answer, we automatically open Google. That’s not changing overnight, even with something as cool as ChatGPT.
OpenAI is also pretty new to the advertising game. Google and Meta have spent years perfecting their ad platforms, building targeting systems, and establishing relationships with advertisers. That’s a lot of ground to cover.
What This Means for Users
If you use ChatGPT, you’re probably wondering how this affects your experience. Good news for paid subscribers—Plus, Pro, and Team users won’t see any ads. The premium tiers stay ad-free, at least for now.
Free users will see some changes, but it shouldn’t be too disruptive. Ads won’t pop up in the middle of conversations or interrupt responses. OpenAI says your privacy is still protected and your chats won’t be shared with advertisers.
The Bigger Picture
OpenAI ads signal something bigger happening in digital marketing. AI is changing how we find information and make buying decisions. As chatbots become more mainstream, advertisers are going to follow.
This could actually shake things up in a good way. Google’s dominated search advertising for so long that fresh competition might benefit everyone. If OpenAI builds a solid ad business, it could push all platforms to get better.
For marketers, this opens new doors. They’ll need to think differently about conversational advertising and figure out how people interact with AI versus traditional search engines.
Looking Ahead
Will OpenAI actually hit that $25 billion mark by 2030? Hard to say. Five years is a long time in tech, and things change fast in the AI space.
What’s certain is that OpenAI ads are coming, and they could genuinely reshape digital advertising. With nearly a billion weekly users and that unique conversational format, ChatGPT brings something new to the table.
It’s going to be interesting watching OpenAI try to build an ad business that can compete with the tech giants. Whether you’re excited or skeptical about ads in ChatGPT, this is definitely a turning point in how advertising and AI come together.
The whole landscape is shifting, and OpenAI just made a big move. The next few years are going to tell us a lot about the future of online advertising and how we all use the internet.
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