OpenAI prepares to bring ads into ChatGPT

With Fidji Simo leading the charge, the AI firm is building an ad team to unlock fresh revenue streams

by e4m Staff
Published: Sep 27, 2025 10:10 AM | 2 min read

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is preparing for a significant shift as it looks to introduce advertising into its widely used AI chatbot. The company is assembling an internal ads team under Fidji Simo, its newly appointed head of applications, who joined last month after stints as Instacart CEO and Head of the Facebook app.

Simo is already spearheading recruitment for a senior leader to oversee OpenAI’s monetisation efforts, spanning both advertising and its current subscription services. According to reports, she has engaged with multiple candidates for the role.

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The opportunity is massive. ChatGPT counts an estimated 700 million users globally, though only about 20 million pay for subscriptions. Ads could unlock billions in fresh revenue, helping offset the company’s high costs. Despite generating $12.7 billion in revenue this year which is triple its 2024 earnings, OpenAI continues to spend more than it earns, making advertising a potentially critical lever for growth.

The company has also started hiring for technical roles such as “Growth Paid Marketing Platform Engineer,” signalling plans to build campaign management tools, integrate with major ad networks, and establish real-time attribution systems.

Still, OpenAI insists the rollout will be cautious. Nick Turley, who heads ChatGPT, told The Verge the company would need to be “very thoughtful and tasteful” in how ads are introduced to avoid disrupting user experience.

With Simo’s deep background in scaling ad products at Facebook, OpenAI’s move underscores a clear intention: transforming ChatGPT from a cultural phenomenon into a revenue powerhouse. For users, the question now is less if ads will appear — but when.