Sam Altman urges people to see OpenAI beyond ChatGPT

OpenAI has reported major revenue in its application programming interface (API) that surpassed a milestone, adding more than $1 billion in annual recurring revenue in just the past month alone. This update was given by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. According to him, this growth reflects a huge rise in demand from both developers and enterprises for building products atop OpenAI's AI models.

Taking to X, Altaman said that although OpenAI is most associated with ChatGPT, its API business is quietly becoming a powerful growth engine. He focused attention on the work of the API team, underlining that many companies are increasingly relying on OpenAI models for commercial applications across software, productivity, and automation.

The announcement comes as investors closely watch OpenAI's financial health. It reportedly weighs a potential initial public offering against soaring costs tied to training and running large-scale artificial intelligence systems. 

The growth of API revenues may be just what the company needs to help alleviate concern over how OpenAI would be able to sustain its operations longer term.

However, scrutiny surrounding OpenAI’s way of running its business remains high, especially after early last week, when Google DeepMind’s CEO Demis Hassabis expressed scepticism concerning OpenAI’s decision to start testing advertisements in its ChatGPT, citing that it could be a result of having to generate revenues sooner.

Several analysts have also criticised the company over the past few months. For instance, in November 2025, Scott Galloway, a technology analyst, noted some serious financial management risks facing the firm. Additionally, investor George Noble has repeatedly attacked the firm, highlighting internal warnings coupled with the increased threat of competition from Google Gemini.

Adding to the pressure is the Deutsche Bank estimate that OpenAI may rack up more than $140bn in losses prior to becoming profitable. In other instances, ChatGPT reportedly has reduced website traffic for two months consecutively. In other circumstances, however, Gemini has recorded exponential growth in user numbers.