TLDR
- OpenAI engaged in preliminary discussions with The Trade Desk (TTD) regarding ChatGPT ad sales support
- TTD shares climbed 9.3% during after-hours trading on the news; AppLovin (APP) also rose more than 1%
- ChatGPT is currently running ad experiments with logged-in adult users on Free and Go plans
- OpenAI’s annualized revenue reached $25B by late February, marking a 17% increase from $21.4B at 2024’s close
- The AI company secured $110B in its most recent financing round, with major investments from Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank
Shares of The Trade Desk (TTD) climbed 9.3% during Wednesday’s extended trading session following a report from The Information revealing that OpenAI has engaged in preliminary conversations with the advertising technology company about implementing ads on ChatGPT.
According to sources close to the situation cited in the report, these discussions remain in their initial phases.
OpenAI has recently launched ad testing within ChatGPT across the United States. This pilot program specifically targets adult users with active logins who subscribe to either the Free or Go service levels.
Rather than building its advertising infrastructure entirely internally, the company seems to be pursuing a partnership strategy with external specialists.
In addition to The Trade Desk, OpenAI has reportedly initiated dialogues with various brands, advertising agencies, and additional ad tech companies as it develops its advertising pilot program.
Fellow ad tech company AppLovin (APP) experienced a modest gain of over 1% in response to the announcement.
OpenAI’s Revenue Acceleration
By the conclusion of February, OpenAI’s annualized revenue had climbed to $25 billion, based on a recent report. This represents a 17% jump from the $21.4 billion figure documented at 2024’s conclusion.
The organization forecasts total revenue exceeding $280 billion by the year 2030, anticipating roughly balanced contributions from its consumer-facing and enterprise divisions.
Within the enterprise segment, OpenAI encounters rivalry from Anthropic and Google, both of which are aggressively marketing AI solutions to corporate clients.
Massive $110B Capital Injection
This past Friday, OpenAI announced it had completed a $110 billion fundraising round.
Amazon led with a $50 billion commitment, while Nvidia and SoftBank each invested $30 billion.
This capital raise ranks among the most substantial in technology sector history and provides OpenAI with significant financial resources to expand its operations — including its advertising ventures.
Integrating advertisements into ChatGPT represents a strategic initiative to create multiple revenue streams, complementing its existing subscription services and business contracts.
The Trade Desk, which provides a self-service programmatic advertising platform, could offer the scale and technical foundation necessary for OpenAI to effectively manage ad distribution across its expanding user community.
Neither organization has publicly confirmed any definitive partnership agreement.
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