ChatGPT reaches new growth milestones and runs into capacity issues

OpenAI's ChatGPT continues to see rapid user growth, with paying subscribers increasing 30 percent to 20 million users in just three months, according to The Information. The service now generates approximately $415 million monthly, putting it on track for $5 billion in annual revenue. The platform's total weekly user base grew even faster, reaching 500 million users. The proportion of paying users dropped from 5 to 4 percent. OpenAI revealed these figures while seeking $40 billion in funding at a $260 billion valuation. Despite the strong revenue growth, profitability remains elusive as the company increases investments and serves more free users. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed concerns about capacity issues, warning that these constraints could lead to delayed product launches and service disruptions. The service added one million new users within a single hour, according to Altman, likely fueled by the hype about Ghibli-style image generation.